AFT Says U.S. Lags in Math Teaching, Tests

WASHINGTON — In a study that it says reinforces President Clinton’s call for national education standards, the American Federation of Teachers reported Wednesday that mathematics instruction and testing of U.S. students lags far behind that done in Japan, Germany and France.

Sandra Feldman, the new president of the teachers union, said that the United States should respond to the report not just by increasing math standards and expectations for students but by expecting more from teachers.

The report compared tests taken by students just before they enter high school and as they seek college admission and found that much higher percentages of foreign students are taking and passing these exams.

For instance, the report said, 26% of German students, 36% of French students and more than 50% of Japanese students pass college entrance exams that contain a large math component. The United States’ best equivalent to these exams--the advanced placement test for math which requires detailed subject knowledge--is taken by only 4% of students and passed by only 2%.

Japan, Germany and France all have national standards and Feldman said that this is a central reason behind their students’ high performances.

“The difference is that these other countries all have systems of education aimed at getting more students to higher levels of achievement,” Feldman said. “They have a common curriculum, tests based on the curriculum and incentives for students to work hard in school. There is no parallel in the United States, so it’s no surprise that our students don’t perform as well.”

According to the report, 75% of the union’s members support Clinton’s call for national standards, which would give states the option of administering national fourth-grade reading tests and eighth-grade math tests. With these national tests and such consequences as keeping those who fail them from passing on to the next grade level, students would know what is expected of them and “rise to the occasion,” Feldman said.

Feldman said that efforts also should be made to upgrade the performance of U.S. teachers.