But let's take a closer look at what those scores actually show about how well Utah's students can express themselves with pen and paper.
It's true that the average Utah student score on this test - 152 of a possible 300 - is higher than the average score on the same test in 1998 and 2002, which was a dismal 143.
Still, the new report indicates that only 31 percent of those tested are "proficient" or have "solid academic performance" at the grade level assessed. Fifty-three percent had only "basic" knowledge, meaning they understand some of what they must know to do grade-level work, and 16 percent are "below basic," meaning they are writing well below grade level.
It's worse than that, however. The average score of Latino students was 28 points below their white classmates, and male students scored 26 points below the average for females. Average scores of students from low-income homes were 20 points below their peers.
These alarming gaps did not narrow over the decade since the 1998 test was administered.
The NAEP Web site explains the "proficient" designation: "Students reaching this level have demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter, including subject-matter knowledge, application of such knowledge to real-world situations, and analytical skills."
It seems to us that when 69 percent of Utah's eighth-graders are not proficient in writing at grade level, the education community should be looking at ways to improve how writing is taught, especially to minority, male and low-income students. Instead, some education officials were celebrating the higher average score and even crediting students' addiction to text-messaging for the improvement.
"Any writing is better than no writing," one middle school teacher said. All we can say to that is: Huh?
"Any writing" is hardly what students should be learning, and the free-form, shorthand, slang-ridden language of text-messaging can only be considered communication in the loosest sense.
As NAEP states, "To become good writers students need expert instruction, frequent practice and constructive feedback."
Utah students, whose score of 152 is below the national average of 154, obviously need more of that than they're getting.
