Statement by Antonia Cortese, Executive Vice President, American Federation of Teachers, on the 2004 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Long-Term Trends in Academic Progress

Note: The 2004 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Long-Term Trends in Academic Progress was released today. The data reflect national student achievement trends in reading since 1971 and in mathematics since 1973.  The long-term trend assessment is different from the 2004 main NAEP assessment, as it is based on a separate test.  Those 2004 NAEP test results have not yet been released.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The 2004 NAEP long-term trend data released today show encouraging progress built on years of effort to raise standards and student achievement by teachers and other educators.  Clearly, our nation’s schools are staffed by committed professionals whose efforts are paying off for students.
 
Among the encouraging trends the data reveal is the narrowing achievement gap between Latino and African-American children and their white peers.  Such progress takes time and sustained effort and predates the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law.  These important gains are the product of years of emphasis on reading and math using research-based instruction, as well as the result of a sharpened focus on high standards as the engine behind student progress.  And, it is clear that if we want to continue these gains, we have to get NCLB right.
 
As U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings noted last week during her remarks at AFT’s QuEST educational issues conference, the AFT is a leader in making high-quality instruction a reality for every child through initiatives like our research-based reading instruction.  We are proud of the work of our members and encouraged by the gains their students are making.  But the NAEP results also show that there is much more we can achieve for America’s children – and AFT members across the nation will continue to strive toward providing quality education for all children. 

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