Scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that students are getting a more quality math education than they were 20 years ago, at least within the United States.

“NAEP is considered our nation’s report card, as it tracks U.S. achievement with very large, representative samples,” Professor Sarah Lubienski said in a short question-and-answer session with Forbes. “Main NAEP scores at grades four and eight have increased substantially since 1990 and have only recently plateaued. Grade 12 NAEP trends are more difficult to track, given mid-stream changes in the test.”

Lubienski, who teaches in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction, admitted that not everyone agrees the Main NAEP test is a true measure of a quality mathematics education. The test reflects a broader curriculum than the Long-Term-Trend test, which focuses more on arithmetic and algebraic symbol manipulation, assessing the same, traditional content that it has since 1973.

Read more of Lubienski’s thoughts in the interview and discover why she believes educators should not abandon Common Core due to the recent slip in test scores.