3rd Grade Reading Proficiency Charts

Are Tennessee’s Children Learning to Read? Reading is the most essential skill that children learn in school. It is taught over a 4-5 year period that begins in preschool or kindergartenand extends to 3rd grade. Beyond 3rd grade, schooling turns from learning to read, to reading to learn. Promoting children to the 4th and subsequent grades without sound reading skills not only reduces their chances of success, it misleads their parents about the child’s progress, it unloads poorly … Read More

School Performance in Oklahoma

Oklahoma: Comparing schools and districts based on student proficiency The information below reflects the most recent data available to us; please contact us with questions or to request additional analyses. Available charts: Poverty versus 3rd grade reading proficiency rates (2023) Poverty versus 3rd grade reading proficiency rates (2019) Poverty versus 3rd grade reading proficiency rates (2018) Poverty versus 3rd grade reading proficiency rates (2017) Poverty versus 3rd grade reading proficiency rates (2016) Poverty versus 3rd grade reading proficiency rates (2015) Note: … Read More

Direct Instruction Resources

For those interested in learning more about DI The Education Consumers Foundation has made available a great deal of information for those wishing to see real and dramatic improvements in reading proficiency rates. The resources below will help educators, legislators, school board leaders and others to learn more about Direct Instruction.   DI Policy Briefing Progress in reading proficiency rates has stalled: Tennessee has seen a move of just three points (on a 500-point scale) over the past … Read More

Are the schools in your area teaching children to read?

posted in: General Information |

Some say that children with social and economic disadvantages can’t learn. However, the Education Consumers Foundation’s analysis of data in various US markets contradicts that conclusion: there are schools in every market that greatly outperform those with virtually identical student populations. See here to review school performance charts in a sampling of markets across the US.

Needed: Truth in Grading

posted in: Education Research |

It is a disappointment when a child does poorly in school.  It becomes a tragedy, however, when a child and his parents are not told the truth. Every year, hundreds of thousands of primary and secondary school students are tested and found to lack minimum skills despite having been promoted from grade to grade. Many have been socially promoted, i.e., moved ahead despite poor marks. Most, however, are the victims of grade inflation: They were awarded letter grades … Read More

For Media

About the Education Consumers Foundation The Education Consumers Foundation (ECF) is a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation chartered in Tennessee. It is a spin-off of the Education Consumers ClearingHouse (ECC)—an online consumer organization founded in 1995.  ECF is dedicated to representing the interests of parents. taxpayers, and their elected representatives.  Its mission is to improve public education outcomes through the use of research and policy analysis.  ECF is like Consumer Reports but focused primarily on education policy, practice, and outcomes.   … Read More

For Activists

American Decline can be Reversed through Grassroots Action Public education has been decaying on the inside for decades. Educators blame poverty, poor parenting, changing demographics, the growth of hedonistic popular culture, insufficient funding, and myriad other factors. Seldom mentioned, however, is education’s failure to adapt and overcome these conditions. In the view of most educators, schools are doing all they can–an explanation that is contradicted by the measurable differences in effectiveness among teachers within the same school and … Read More

For Parents

Support for Parents, Educators, and the Community For parents and others interested in pursuing improved student and/or school performance, the links below should serve as a starting point. An Overview of Resources from ECF The Education Consumers Foundation website offers a great deal of information for parents and others interested in effective K-12 education. Download this brochure for an overview of what’s available, presented in a format that’s easily shared with others in your child’s school. Books by Elaine McEwan … Read More

Current Members

The current member list of the Education Consumer Consultants Network Harold A. Black, Ph.D. Emeritus Professor of Finance Haslam College of Business University of Tennessee hblack@utk.edu Wayne Bishop, Ph.D. Professor of Mathematics Department of Mathematics California State University-Los Angeles wbishop@calstatela.edu William L. Brown, Ph.D. Coordinator of Test Development Michigan Education Assessment Program bbainc@sbcglobal.net Tom Burkard, B.A. Honors Director The Promethean Trust Norwich, England burkard@tiscali.co.uk Louis Chandler, Ph.D. Professor & Chairman Department of Psychology in Education University of Pittsburgh … Read More

About ECCN

Getting a Second Opinion The Need for Consumer-Friendly Expertise Local and state school boards, legislative committees, parent organizations, and business and community groups are often asked to endorse or approve education policy. Typically, the policy is supported by an authoritative recommendation—usually a panel of educators, an employee of the recommending agency, or a handpicked consultant. Rarely are such requests accompanied by an appraisal by an expert that is sympathetic to the consumer’s perspective. The result: Every year, public … Read More

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