Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022
Does Wisconsin have the second highest math proficiency rate among fourth graders in the US?
According to the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress report card, 43% of Wisconsin fourth-grade students tested proficient or higher in math — tied with Nebraska and Massachusetts for the second highest percentage across all U.S. states. For eighth graders, Wisconsin tied with New Jersey for the third highest "at or above proficient" percentage.
For reading, Wisconsin fourth and eighth graders' proficient or higher percentage is slightly better than the national public average. However, Wisconsin's average reading test scores for fourth and eighth graders do not show a statistically significant difference from the national average.
While Wisconsin saw less steep score drops than other states amid the pandemic, Wisconsin had the widest score gaps between Black and white students out of all the states that provided data. Wisconsin already had the worst racial disparities in the nation — and now, the margins have grown.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- The Nation's Report Card State Profiles for NAEP 2022 Report Card
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Wisconsin reports widest score gap between Black and white students in nation
- USA Today Reading and math test scores fell across US during the pandemic. How did your state fare?
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Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
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