CC MAY CAUSE STATES TO REDUCE STANDARDS

STUDY: NCLB MAY CAUSE STATES TO REDUCE STANDARDS: Some states may be dumbing down the skills that students are expected to learn in order to avoid the penalties of not meeting No Child Left Behind standards, a study presented at the American Sociological Association's annual meeting on Sunday argues. For the study, "Are State Assessments Comparable to the NAEP? Exploring Sociological and Political Factors Related to State/NAEP Comparability," University of Kansas researcher Argun Saatcioglu compared fourth graders' scores on state assessments to their performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress exam from 2003 to 2009. In general, Saatcioglu found that there was less correlation over time between state assessment and NAEP scores in states with higher African-American populations and larger classes sizes. This, he argued, is a sign that some states may be requiring students to master fewer skills over time. More on the study in an ASA press release: http://bit.ly/1kNtIpk.