The report presents data on how the 40 states whose students took the National Assessment of Educational Progress in 1996 would have done had they participated in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study, which 41 countries took in 1995. Minnesota, Missouri, and Oregon students actually took the international exam. For example, it tries to answer the question of where Arizona falls in relation to Canada. Minnesota, with actual results, and Alaska virtually tied for the largest proportions of students falling into those categories for math performance in the 8th grade. The National Center for Education Statistics did not explicitly rank states by their international performance.
Researchers have yet to figure out why.
The ability to connect performance on a national exam such as NAEP to the international ones holds significance for the future success of the Clinton administration's proposed voluntary national tests in 4th grade reading and 8th grade math. But the tests have powerful opponents in Congress and face a dubious future. The international comparison provides a useful frame of reference for Oregon, said Stephen Slater, an assessment specialist for the state education department there. We are competing globally, and so Singapore is just as valid a comparison group as the state of Washington. Acrobat reader, which is available on the NAEP site.