Why Do Asian American Students Earn the Highest Test Scores in Lexington, KY?

By Anna Seacat

Why Do Asian American Students Outperform Other Students in the Classroom and on Standardized Tests in Lexington, KY?

Amy Chua created controversy with her first book, Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mother. However, her second book, The Triple Package may prove to be more controversial. Critics accuse Chua’s opinion that one’s culture and upbringing greatly affects her or his likelihood of success in the United States to be borderline racist.

However, Chua insists that her intent is to not generalize or stereotype certain cultural groups. Rather, she simply wants to point out that each ethnicity tends to have traditions when it comes to educating and raising children, and that we all can benefit by learning from others.

With this theme of learning from others in mind, I have set out to find reasons why Asian American children in Lexington, KY are outscoring their non-Asian classmates on standardized tests and proficiency assessments.

Why Do Asian American Students Outperform Other Students in the Classroom and on Standardized Tests in Lexington, KY?

In this presentation I will begin by providing evidence that Asian American students do, indeed, earn the highest scores on tests and proficiency assessments in Kentucky.

Next, I will explore possible reasons why this occurs.

Finally, I will offer a way that we can incorporate successful Asian-based learning methods into the U.S. educational structure.

Asian American Students Outperform all Other Student Groups in Kentucky

As shown in this chart, which can be found along with supporting data at Kentucky Department of Education : Homepage, Asian students’ outperform all other races in Kentucky not only at the baseline “Proficient” category, but the more critical category, “Advanced.”

I call this category more critical, because as with any discipline, whether it be athletic or academic, being proficient is not enough to be considered a competitive. Performing at a competitive level requires mastery of skills, i.e. “advanced.”

Why Do Asian American Students Earn the Highest Test Scores in Kentucky?

In the following slides, I will offer three reasons why Asian Americans have reached advanced levels in math and reading.

Parent’s High Expectations

Superior Study Habits

Confidence in the Classroom and on Tests

Why Have Asian American Students in Lexington, KY Reached Advanced Levels in Reading and Math?

Parent’s ExpectationsHigh Grades = Successful Careers A paper submitted by the Department of Applied Psychology at NYU compiled research to show that, “Asian American parents believe that education is a strong predictor of future success, implying that an ‘improper’ education leads to failure.”

Good Parenting = High ExpectationsThe same body of work at NYU also concluded that Asian parents believe that part of being a good parent is having high expectations for children. In fact, the high expectations have a tendancy to be an effective strategy, because, “Asian American children aim for occupations that are indicative of high socioeconomic status and their parents’ timeless effort.”

Why Have Asian American Students in Lexington, KY Reached Advanced Levels in Reading and Math?

Superior Study HabitsAsian Students Study Longer. According the research presented by the University of California, Asian students study around 13 hours each week, while white students only about 6 hours every week.

Asian Students Study More Effectively.

In February of 2014, the OECD released results of a comprehensive study on academic performance, and found that Japanese students not only believe they are in control of their ability to succeed, but they are prepared to do what it takes to do so: 84% of Japanese students said they won't put off difficult problems, in the U.S. only half did so. Additionally, the OECD’s special advisor on education policy explained that while Western schools have a tendency to teach "simple maths wrapped in complex words,” Asian-based methodologies, like KUMON, emphasize teaching students formal maths through mastery of the underlying principles.

Why Have Asian American Students in Lexington, KY Reached Advanced Levels in Reading and Math?

Confidence in the Classroom and on Tests

In 2012, PISA released international results about the correlation between students' confidence in math and their ability to perform advanced levels of math. Not surprisingly, students with the most confidence in their abilities in mathematics had the least anxiety during math exercises/ tests, and these high-achieving students were from Asian countries.

As mentioned in the previous slide, Asian students gain confidence in their personal abilities in math because, through programs like KUMON, students master fundamentals in mathematics in a systematic manner. Because, Asian students have mastered math fundamentals, they confidently apply them to challenges in the classroom and on tests.

How can Parents in Lexington, KY Incorporate Successful Asian-Based Learning Methodologies into Their Child’s Education?

For over a half century, Asian parents have been using KUMON to enhance their children’s education and improve their potential for academic success. As shown in the video, Sudha Chopra explains how the methodology works.

For more information about how to raise confident, independent, and high-achieving student, please visit:

http://whatiskumon.blogspot.com/

For years, test scores in Fayette County schools in Lexington, KY have shown that Asian American Students outscore their white peers.

This presentation examined possible reasons why this scenario exists. Key takeaways for parents include:

1. Your children will rise to the expectations you set for them. All children are capable of academic greatness; you shouldn’t expect anything less than that.

2. If your children are to compete in an increasingly competitive collegiate environment and secure a viable career, enroll them in an academic program like KUMON, which teaches students to study more effectively than their peers.

3. Self-confidence will determine your child’s level of comfort while in the classroom and during tests. Self-confidence in these environments can be achieved by reducing anxiety through systematic practice.