Since 1971, minority students have made greater gains than white children in reading achievement. But even with the improvement, they lag so far behind white students that the average black or Hispanic 17-year-old reads at about the same level as the average white 13-year-old.

Those findings were reported last week by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the Government’s program for monitoring public schools. Its study found that students in general were reading at least as well in 1984 as they did in 1971, but that the gains were made largely during the 1970’s and achievement has dropped off during the 1980’s.

Some educators said that the progress of the minority students may be evidence that Government programs had succeeded in helping the disadvantaged.

”What we are seeing may be a carry-over from the good start that many of these children had in the 1970’s through such programs as Head Start, Title I and bilingual programs,” said Archie E. LaPointe, executive director of the National Assessment.

The proportion of black 13-year-olds able to handle reading materials appropriate for their age rose from 20.4 percent in 1971 to 35.3 percent in 1984. Yet educators found cause for alarm. Despite the gains, the figures mean that more than two-thirds of black 13-year-olds cannot read books written for their age level. Only 33.1 percent of white students have that problem.

The disparity in reading ability shows up in large integrated suburban school districts as well as in cities, the study found.

And as Government officials discussed the survey’s findings, a controversy raged in Washington’s suburbs over recent statistics showing that black students in Prince George’s County, Md., and Alexandria, Va., have average test scores far below those of their white classmates.



Comments are closed.