But first, EdOpt was proud to have a table at the School Choice Fair on Saturday Feb 1 at the Grappone Center! Sponsored by the Children’s Scholarship Fund, it wound up the National School Choice Week events that took place around the country.
We had around 100 education providers, and many families milling around.
As for EdOpt at the fair, we made some new friends, added new providers to our listings, and some people volunteered to organize more expos around the state! All in all, it was an excellent experience. If only I had been smiling in that picture (on the right).
How are NH public schools performing?
If you need a reason to provide an alternative education path for your child, the 2024 results of NAEP (pronounced “nape”; the National Assessment for Educational Progress) can help. In short, the results were abysmal for New Hampshire and for the entire country.
The NAEP test is used to:
- compare United States’ performance on reading and math with the rest of the world, and
- compare each state and large city with each other.
Students in 4th and 8th grades take this test. No kid takes the entire test, no kid gets a score. Not all kids in a school will take the test. They choose some students from some schools in each state and large city in order to represent the larger set of people. Their scores are reported at the state or large district level. The test is administered every two years.
This is quite a clever way to get the pulse on a state.
Have you taken the NAEP test? Comment on this post or message me if you have, or if you know anyone who has. The test has been around since 1970, so there’s been a lot of time for it to spread around. I personally don’t know if I know anyone who has taken it.
FYI, NAEP provides a pretty cool tool for looking at the results.
New Hampshire has been performing in the top-10 states for years. That sounds pretty good, until you see that only 35% of students are performing at or above proficiency (otherwise known as grade level) in reading. That means that 65% are reading below grade level — two third of New Hampshire students in cannot read. It seems a little better in Catholic schools.
The reports also link spending to results. They conclude that more spending has NOT produced better educational outcomes in New Hampshire.
YMMV in your particular school, of course. But if academics in school are issues for you, EdOpt can help you figure out a good alternative education path for your child.
Share your experience with academics in response to this blog post, especially if you are taking an alternative approach to learning.
