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Oklahoma students lost ground in reading proficiency in the past two years, erasing gains they had made in 2015, newly released data from the \u201cNation\u2019s Report Card\u201d show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nationally, students\u2019 reading scores held steady.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The decline was significant and could raise questions about the efficacy of the state\u2019s third-grade retention policy. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister attributed 2015 gains to the policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hofmeister said Tuesday the results were \u201cdeeply concerning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur students have not gained academic momentum in the midst of thinning resources and the severe, ongoing teacher shortage. These scores are indicative of the struggles our schools have endured over the past several years,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The third-grade retention policy, known as the Reading Sufficiency Act, was 37 percent funded in 2017, she noted. It was 50 percent funded in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In math, Oklahoma fourth-graders\u2019 scores slipped while eighth-grade students held steady, the data show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oklahoma ranked in the bottom half of states in reading and math in fourth and eighth grades in the 2017 National Assessment for Educational Progress. The exams are given every other year to a sampling of fourth- and eighth-grade students nationwide and are considered the best tool to compare student achievement across states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oklahoma ranked 39th<\/sup> in fourth-grade reading; 40th<\/sup> in eighth-grade reading; 34th<\/sup> in fourth-grade math; and 44th<\/sup> in eighth-grade math. Scores were reported for all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., and Department of Defense schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n