密歇根新闻广播 在全国阅读和数学测试中 只有密歇根的学生无进步

Are Michigan's schools improving? According to a new analysis of national testing data, the answer is a clear "no."

The report, authored by University of Michigan professor Brian A. Jacob, looked at the scores of 4th- and 8th-grade students on the National Assessment¹ of Educational Progress. The nationally administered test measures for proficiency² in reading and math.

"We found that Michigan students are performing very poorly on national exams, really no matter how you cut the data," Jacob said. "If you look at straight proficiency rates, Michigan is 41st out of 50 states. And then if you look at the change in proficiency between 2003 and 2015, it turns out that Michigan is the only state in the country where proficiency rates have actually declined over time. It is 50 out of 50."

What is Michigan doing wrong? To answer that question, Jacob highlighted some of the states at the opposite end of the spectrum³.

Massachusetts, for instance, ranked near the top for both proficiency and proficiency growth over the past decade. It also has among the highest levels 0f per-pupil funding, one area where Michigan has lagged.

"Michigan doesn't have the lowest per-pupil funding in the country," Jacob said. "But the funding is only at modest levels and has not increased substantially over the past decade, compared to some of the other highest-performing states, where they really have devoted⁴ some of the most resources to education."

Jacob also discussed the role of charter school oversight⁵ in Michigan's education system, and the effect of the Every Student Succeeds Act. Listen to the full conversation above.

1 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

2 proficiency   

n.精通，熟练，精练

参考例句：

• He plied his trade and gained proficiency in it.他勤习手艺，技术渐渐达到了十分娴熟的地步。
• How do you think of your proficiency in written and spoken English?你认为你的书面英语和口语熟练程度如何？

3 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

4 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

5 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。