Fact Sheets & More President & Spellings Discuss Nation's Report Card Achievement Gap Narrowing African American Achievement Hispanic Achievement Nation's Report Card Audio Clips Photo

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings released the following statement regarding the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) National and State Report Cards in Mathematics and Reading, also known as the Nation's Report Card. The national and state report cards are released every two years as required by the No Child Left Behind Act:

These results, like the long-term July data, confirm that we are on the right track with No Child Left Behind, particularly with younger students who have benefited from the core principles of annual assessment and disaggregation of data. The results in fourth grade are particularly encouraging, and we are truly heartened by the continued narrowing of the achievement gap.

It's notable that as our student population has become increasingly diverse, the scores have continued to rise. That is no accident. It is a tribute to the hard work of classroom teachers, school principals and local policymakers.

As a former state policymaker, I know how eager states are to use these findings to inform their next policy decisions. These results clearly show a need to apply accountability principles and focused instruction in our middle and high schools. I look forward to working with state and school officials to carry out these urgent, data-driven priorities for our students.

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