Cleveland pupils' survey scores are among worst

Among city's eighth-graders, 34 percent displayed average basic skill levels.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- The math and reading skills of Cleveland's fourth- and eighth-graders were consistently among the worst of 11 urban districts surveyed nationwide, the U.S. Department of Education reported Thursday.
Average fourth-grade Cleveland scores ranked ninth out of 11 districts in math and reading. Eighth-graders in Cleveland ranked ninth in math and eighth in reading, according to the trial urban survey conducted as part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
Scores improved a bit in Cleveland fourth-grade math skills, up from 51 percent performing at basic levels in 2003 to 60 percent in 2005. Eighth-grade skills dipped from 38 percent performing at basic levels in 2003 to 34 percent this year.
In reading, Cleveland fourth-graders went from 35 percent average basic skill levels in 2003 to 37 percent this year. Average eighth-grade basic reading skills went from 48 percent to 49 percent.
National comparisons
The survey, sometimes called the Nation's Report Card, said white Cleveland fourth-graders performed better in reading and math compared to black classmates but worse in comparison to whites in the other 10 districts.
Forty-six percent of white fourth graders and 68 percent of black youngsters in Cleveland had average reading scores below basic levels, according to the survey. The 11-district average showed 26 percent of big-city white fourth-graders underperforming and 51 percent overall reading poorly.
In math, 19 percent of white fourth-graders in Cleveland underperformed, ranking last among the 11 districts. Forty-eight percent of blacks underperformed, ranking eighth among the districts.
The district has seen the scores but had no immediate comment, a school spokeswoman said.
The goal of the test is for pupils to show they can handle challenging subject matter and apply it to real-life situations, a skill level known as proficient.
Cleveland has about 60,000 pupils: 70 percent black, 19 percent white and 9 percent Hispanic.
Cleveland has Ohio's only public school district controlled by the mayor. The move to mayoral control came in 1998 after the system spent three years under court control because of mismanagement and poor pupil performance.
The districts participated in the big-city school survey voluntarily. The others were Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Boston; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Houston; Los Angeles; New York; San Diego; and Washington, D.C.