NAEP scores released; media misreports

From The Olympian:

High school seniors lag in math, reading on national tests

WASHINGTON -- High school students are getting better grades and taking more challenging courses, but that apparent progress is not showing up on national math and reading tests.

Keep that in mind: no apparent progress in math. Then, scroll down for the revelation:

The government said it could not compare the math results with the previous scores because the latest test was significantly different.

The claim is repeated on the NAEP's report page.

Results from the 2005 mathematics assessment could not be compared to those from previous years because of changes in the assessment content and administration.

So, there's no apparent progress in math, but the scores aren't comparable, so even if there was progress, we'd have to discount it.

Question that springs to mind: could the reporter who wrote this pass the Wonderlic?

Added: The NAEP details the changes that render comparisons moot.

The 2005 mathematics assessment is based on a new framework. The assessment includes more questions on algebra, data analysis, and probability to reflect changes in high school mathematics standards and coursework. Even though many questions were repeated, results could not be placed on the old NAEP scale and could not be directly compared to previous years.