Error made in reporting test scores

Monday, Jan. 26, 1998 | 10:45 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The state Department of Education is a little red-faced after admitting it made an error in reporting that fourth- and eighth-graders scored lower in national tests in 1997 than they did in 1996.

The department presented figures to the Legislative Committee on Education Jan. 13 that showed test scores in reading, language and math on the national tests declined for both grades on a year-to-year comparison.

The department issued new statistics Friday and agency official David Smith said, "There was little differences between Nevada student performance on the 1996 and 1997 examinations."

There were two sets of test scores compiled in 1996 and the wrong data was used in compiling a comparison.

"The Nevada students inappropriately appeared to have performed higher in all areas in 1996," Smith said.

For instance, the new results showed fourth-graders actually improved in the math scores from 1996 to 1997, instead of declining.

The revised results showed the results of eighth-graders in reading and language remained the same in the year-to-year comparison. In reading, the eighth-graders scored 2 percent above the national average and 1 percent higher in language.

But in math, the eighth-grade scores declined to 3 percent below average.

Fourth-graders scored 2 percent below the national average in reading, dropping from a 49 in 1996 to a 48 in 1997. Scores in language for fourth-graders stayed a 54 or four points above the national average for the two years. In the math test, fourth-graders scored at the national average of 50 or two points better than in 1996.