Problems in eighth grade math

This week the federal government released results of its National Assessment of Education Progress testing for 2007 in reading and math. My eyes were drawn to the math part, because that is where I notice people having a lot of trouble. The USA needs more scientists and engineers, right? Scientists and engineers need to know math, right?

How are West Virginia schools doing?

Of course, the state Department of Education issued a news release saying math scores are increasing. Okay, but let's dig deeper into the numbers.

Four years ago, 38 percent of black children fourth grade in West Virginia scored below "basic" level on NAEP. This past year, in 2007, 69 percent scored below "basic."

How does one group regress so far in four years? Why aren't people looking at these numbers and shouting at them as loudly as they shout about the Jena 6?

This is not just a West Virginia problem. Alabama, Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin had the same or higher percentages of black eighth-graders scoring below basic as West Virginia did.

Now don't you white kids start feeling so superior. Here are some numbers for you.

Average score, 271. Last in the nation.

Percent below basic: 37, worst in the nation.

Percent at or above basic: 63, worst in the nation. (Massachusetts and Texas each came in at 90 percent or higher).

Percent at or above proficient: 19, worst in the nation. (Massachusetts, Texas and New Jersey each came in at 50 percent or higher).

The NAEP 8th-grade test measures, among other things, knowledge of basic algebra and geometry, and it measures reasoning abilities in solving a math word problem.

If the NAEP is the best state-to-state comparison available, then it's time for the West Virginia Department of Education to address the atrocious performance of West Virginia children on this test.

This is not a black problem or a white problem. It's everyone's problem.

Parents will blame schools and schools will blame parents. The nice thing about blame is that absolves the person doing the blaming of any need to take action. Let's drop the blame and get to work getting our middle schoolers up to speed in their math education.