Results of the 2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress tests published by the Department of Education's National Center for Educational Statistics are in, and Detroit Public Schools fared the worst in the country for both reading and math proficiency, according to CNS News. Just seven percent of eighth graders in the Detroit public school system are proficient in reading, and only four percent are proficient in math.
The 2015 Mathematics Trial Urban District Snapshot Report for Detroit public school's eighth graders can be seen here.
Second place, directly behind Detroit public schools, was Cleveland, with four points higher in reading proficiency.
Despite the increase in education funding for schools to help increase the numbers, 67 percent of public school eight graders across the country are not proficient in reading, which means that they not reading at the eighth grade level.
The Department of Education's recent budget shows a $21 billion increase over the 2008 budget, increased from $56 billion dollars for public schools in 2008 to $71 billion dollars allotted for 2014, yet the numbers of proficient students has declined.
Math proficiency has declined again for the second year in a row, according to American Thinker, and with only 30 percent of all American eighth graders being where they should be in both reading and math, the fourth graders scored slightly better, with two in five being proficient.
"We should expect scores in this period to bounce around some, and I think that 'implementation dip' is part of what we're seeing here," Arne Duncan, Education Secretary said in a phone call with the Associated Press. "I would caution everyone to be careful about drawing conclusions."
"One year does not make a trend," Chris Minnich, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers, said Wednesday. "We set this new goal for the country of college and career readiness for all kids. Clearly, these results today show we're not quite there yet and we have some work to do."
