NOTES ABOUT THE 1999 FINDINGS: NORTHERN MARIANAS
These pages present highlights for your state from the 1999 National Education Goals Report and the companion 1999 Data Volume. The annual Goals Report uses 27 national and 34 state-level indicators to measure progress made toward the eight National Education Goals since 1990, when the Goals were established.
This fact sheet summarizes your state’s progress in key educational areas during the 1990s. Please note the following points:
- Data sources:
The sources of the national and state data are large-scale data collections, research studies, and assessments conducted by universities, education organizations, and federal agencies such as the National Center for Education Statistics and the National Center for Health Statistics.
- Data comparability:
Only comparable state data are included in the annual Goals Reports to ensure that state comparisons are fair.
- Recency of data:
The Goals Panel is committed to providing the most recent data available in its annual reports. Some of the data sets used to monitor state and national progress are updated annually, but most are updated every two, three, or four years. In a few cases, the most recent data available were collected during the early or mid-1990s. For example, the most recent adult literacy data (Goal 6), were collected in 1992; they will be updated in 2002. The most recent national data on history achievement and geography achievement (Goal 3) were collected in 1994; they will be updated in 2001. International mathematics and science data for the nation (Goal 5) were last collected in 1995; they are being updated during 1999. The most recent data on teacher education and professional development (Goal 4), parental participation (Goal 8), and teacher victimization and class disruptions (Goal 7) were collected in 1994; they will be updated in 2000. The remaining data presented in the Goals Report were collected within the last three years.
- Measuring improvement:
This fact sheet and the annual Goals Reports highlight progress made toward the National Education Goals since 1990, when the Goals were adopted. Changes in state performance during the 1990s – that is, between 1990 and the most recent year that data were collected – determine whether a state is improving or declining in performance. Improvement is not based on year-to-year changes.
- New state data:
The following state data appear in this year’s Goals Report for the very first time:
Goal 3: Student Achievement and Citizenship
- Reading achievement – Grade 8 (1998 data)
- Writing achievement – Grade 8 (1998 data)
- Updated state data:
In addition, the following indicators of state progress have been updated with more recent data since last year’s report:
Goal 1: Ready to Learn
- Children’s Health Index (1997 data)
- Low birthweight (1997 data)
- Early prenatal care (1997 data)
- Preschool programs for children with disabilities (1998 data)
Goal 2: School Completion
- High school completion rates for 18- to 24-year-olds (1997 data)
- High school dropout rates in Grades 9-12 (1997 data)
Goal 3: Student Achievement and Citizenship
- Reading achievement – Grade 4 (1998 data)
- Advanced Placement performance (1999 data)
Goal 5: Mathematics and Science
- Mathematics and science degrees (1996 data)
7. Types of information presented: Four categories of information are provided for your state:
a. Highest-Performing States are states that have performed well in comparison to others. This does not mean that the Goals Panel considers performance in these states to be as high as it should be in order to meet the Goal. It is simply a means of recognizing those states that are doing particularly well relative to others, and that are closest to achieving the Goal by this measure of progress.
b. Most-Improved States are those that made the greatest improvements over time. These states may not yet be among the highest-performing states in the nation, but they were the most successful at pushing their performance in the right direction. "Most-improved" does not necessarily mean that the Goals Panel considers the amount of progress made to be sufficient. It is simply a means of recognizing those states that have made the greatest progress toward the Goal by this measure.
c. Areas of Improvement lists each area in which your state’s performance has improved, compared to where it stood at the beginning of the decade.
d. Areas of Decline lists each area in which your state’s performance has declined, compared to where it stood at the beginning of the decade.
Copies of both reports are available on the Goals Panel’s Web site, at www.negp.gov
NORTHERN MARIANAS – Data Highlights
1999 National Education Goals Report
The Northern Marianas do not have sufficient data to measure progress toward the National Education Goals.