Pennsylvania’s Fourth Graders Are the Only Group to Increase National Vocabulary Test Scores

Turns out Pennsylvania actually does have something that’s better than in the rest of the country: our fourth graders. That news comes thanks to the absolutely deplorable national standardized vocabulary tests results showing a huge drop in American students’ already limited word banks. Administered by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the tests found that, across the board, our students (regardless of age) are losing their ability to process unfamiliar words. Fourth graders in particular showed the worst decline between 2009 and 2011, with scores declining by three points. PA fourth graders, however, actually increased their scores and were the only group in that bracket in the whole country to do so. Way to go, little dudes. [HuffPo]