Study shows variation in state tests

For example, a reading score that rates a fourth-grader "proficient" in Mississippi would be a failing score in Massachusetts, according to a report released by the Education Department.

The findings are certain to fuel debate about whether the No Child Left Behind law should be overhauled to make standards more uniform from state to state.

The study compared what it takes to be rated "proficient" on elementary- and middle-school state reading and maths tests to what it means to hit that mark on national tests. It found that most of the scores that would label a student proficient on state tests don't yield that grade on the national tests.

There also are huge differences in where states set their benchmarks.

Massachusetts sets the proficiency score on its fourth-grade reading test at a point just below the proficiency mark on the national test. But a fourth-grader in Mississippi can be rated proficient with a state test score that is nearly 70 points lower. Proficiency is defined as working at the level expected for that grade.

The tests given by the states are used to judge schools under No Child Left Behind, the five-year-old education law that is up for renewal this year. — AP