Nine-year-olds in 2004 scored better than ever before on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Long-Term Trends tests in reading and math. What's more, for 9-, 13- and 17-year-olds, most racial/ethnic achievement gaps in reading have narrowed over the past three decades.  (See here and here for reading, here and here for math.)

Naysayers may complain that overall scores for 17-year-olds are flat and reading scores for 13-year-olds didn't improve. But it's worth noting that the 2004 reading and math scores for African-American and Hispanic 17-year-olds were significantly higher than when the tests were first given. And the results for 9-year-olds are just too good to dismiss--the best in both reading and math since the tests were first given in the early 1970s.

The most ardent supporters of No Child Left Behind cited the results as proof positive that NCLB is working, but, to put it gently, that's a stretch. The law was signed in 2002, regulations continue to be announced and revised, and its provisions for highly qualified teachers and paraprofessionals have not yet taken effect. In addition, 9-year-olds taking the test in 2004 had several years of pre-NCLB schooling--and at-home experiences--under their belts that had a much greater impact on their test scores than a law that is only now trickling down to the school level.  

Recognizing real progress, which is evident in these NAEP results, is a key to education reform. But we also need to identify the correct source of the progress--decades of work to raise academic standards and the commitment of classroom professionals are paying off for students.