U.S., state tests find different results

RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Differences in U.S. and state school standards in states including North Carolina are leading to wide discrepancies between state and federal assessments.

The differences between state test scores and a national test have led to state and federal authorities finding vastly differing results when analyzing the proficiency of students, Stateline.org reported Wednesday.

The dissimilarity between federal results finding students below average where state results find them acceptable has led some states to switch to tougher exams and raise passing scores for elementary and middle school students. However, wide disparities remain in the results for many states.

"It creates confusion in the minds of parents and policy-makers alike," Bruce Fuller, a University of California, Berkeley education professor who has studied the discrepancies between state and federal scores, told Stateline.org.

In Tennessee, 87 percent of eighth graders were rated proficient in math and reading on a state exam but the federal test found that 21 percent were at grade level for math and 26 met the standard mark for reading, Stateline.org reported.