Why do Asian American Children Earn the Highest Test Scores in Lexington, KY ?

By Anna Seacat

KUMON students in Lexington, KY

This article will provide possible reasons why Asian American students tend to earn the highest test scores among all racially defined groups in Lexington, KY.  First, however, I will provide evidence that this scoring scenario exists.  

According to NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress), which is a “federally mandated assessment and the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what our nation’s students know and can do in subjects such as mathematics and reading," Asian Americans in Lexington, KY are not only more proficient in math and reading than their peers, but they are more advanced as well.  The report specifically stated, “In 2013, White students in Kentucky had an average score that was higher than the average score of Black students, but lower than the average score of Asian/Pacific Islander students, and not significantly different from the average score of Hispanic students.” (pg. 25). 

Asian American Students are Classified as “Advanced,” When Compared to Their Peers in Lexington, KY.  What is even more significant than the fact that Asian American students’ average standardized test scores surpassed all other races in Lexington, KY, is that the percentage of Asian American students who were distinguished as being “advanced” was significantly higher than their white peers’ distinction as such.  For example, even though eighty-seven percent of white students in Kentucky were classified as meeting the “at or above basic” metric and ninety percent of Asian American students met the same criteria, the real marker of distinction is in that in 2013 only seven percent of white students in Kentucky were considered to be “advanced,” whereas twenty-seven percent of Asian Americans earned a spot in that classification based on test scores. (p. 26-27).

Happy About Math at the KUMON in Lexington, KY

Asian American Students in Lexington, KY are More Prepared to Compete in College and for High-Income Earning Careers.  Most would agree that knowing the basics of anything, whether it be academics or sports, is not enough to compete.  To be competitive in school, like any sport, students must be mastering skills and consistently earning high scores during competitions or tests.  However, studies have shown that it is highly unlikely that children who earn high scores incompetitive sports will actually be able to translate that into a viablecareer.  Understanding this notion, President Obama, and bi-partisan lawmakers alike have all agreed that the U.S. must grow a more competitive student.   

If we are to do this, however, we need to determine how the majority of students in Lexington, KY can rise above the baseline and move towards more advanced levels of learning.  To achieve this objective, it is necessary to analyze those students who, as a group, are already categorized as advanced.  Therefore, below, I will offer possible reasons why Asian American students receive better test scores than other students in Lexington, KY.

The #1 Why Reason Asian American Students Earn Higher Test Scores in Lexington, KY:

PARENTS’ EXPECTATIONS

I found specific sources that pointed to parent’s expectations as a possible reason why Asian American students perform better on tests than white students.  These expectations were based on two themes. 

High Grades = Successful Careers.  First, it is likely that Asian parents in Lexington, KY have the expectation that if their child outperforms their peers in school, they will land a high-income earning career.  In an article in USA Today titled, “Asian Students Carry High Expectations for Success,” it was proposed that Asian parents perceive “education as the only path to success.  The article’s author consulted a professor and dean at Seoul National University, who explained, “There is a mentality of a first tier.  You have to be first-rate, otherwise you may not be able to survive.”

KUMON of Lexington | Good Parenting

Good Parenting = High Expectations.  Beyond Asian American parents having an expectation that excellence in academics is a proven path toward success, they have high expectations for their children’s abilities in general.  Need I remind anyone of the stir in early 2011 caused by a Yale law professor, who published the book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, wherein she outlined her exceptionally high expectations for her daughters in no uncertain terms.  In fact, she credited her own success to her parent’s expectations for her.  She claimed, “We got in trouble for A minuses, had to drill math and piano every day, no sleepovers, no boyfriends.  But the strategy worked for me…In fact, I believe that my parents having high expectations for me – coupled with love – is the greatest gift anyone has ever give me.”

Your Children are What You Expect of Them.  I am far from being a tiger mom, but I do believe in the many studies that clearly indicate that children will rise to the expectations we set for them.  These don’t have to be unrealistic expectations, like “only A+s; no A-s,” but by the same token, lowering our expectations will not serve our children in Lexington, KY well.  

The #2 Why Reason Asian American Students Earn Higher Test Scores in Lexington, KY:

STUDY HABITS

Asian Students Study Longer.  In response to the “Tiger Mother” concept, the University of California published, “Is there a ‘Tiger Mother’ Effect? Time Use Across Ethnic Groups,” to explore reasons why four of the five top scoring countries on international student assessments are Asian countries (Finland was the sole exception).  The University of California formulated two conclusions.  First, Asians study longer than their American counterparts.  The article pointed to the fact that Asian students studied between ten and fifteen hours each week, while white students barely studied over five hours on a weekly basis. 

Asian Students Study More Effectively.  Second, the University of California suggested that Asian’s approach to studying and learning is not only different than that of America’s methods, but more effective.  A recent study, outlined in BBC News, mirrored the suggestion that Asians tend to learn more efficiently by noting that a typical English approach to teaching math is to present “simple maths wrapped in complex words,” whereas Asian methods emphasize formal maths, but require a mastery of underlying principles. 

Students at KUMON in Lexington, KY are Confident and Enjoy Challenges

How Can Students in Lexington, KY Study More Effectively?  I’ll never forget the day my daughter’s school sent home a baggy of red, plastic beans to learn addition and subtraction.  Every night after we finished the fifteen minutes of “bean homework” together, she would move on to complete homework provided by the KUMON in Lexington, KY.  Besides the difference in methodologies offered by the public school and private after-school program, my daughter required my assistance with the bean homework, but confidently completed KUMON assignments independently.  By the end of the first semester, my daughter had mastered two-digit multiplication...her first grade class was still counting beans.  So, if you are wondering why Asian American students in Lexington, KY are earning higher scores on tests than your child, it is possible that when they are done with their hands-on math from school, they learn in a more structured format through KUMON.  This is not to say that KUMON's method should replace fun math at school, rather, students should be both mastering fundamentals and applying them to hands-on exercises.  

The #3 Reason Why Asian American Students Earn Higher Test Scores in Lexington, KY:

CONFIDENCE

Learned Confidence Reduces Anxiety in the Classroom.  Because most Asian American students in Lexington, KY study at home independently and more effectively than other students, they are more confident in the classroom and more relaxed while taking standardized tests.  Confidence is an important indicator of potential success in school and in future careers.  According to an in-depth study conducted by the OECD, student’s confidence in their ability to overcome difficulties in mathematics and their anxiety, or lack thereof, towards mathematics are determining factors in academic achievement.  In the video below, Sudha Chopra, owner of the KUMON in Lexington, KY explains why Asian Americans and all KUMON children are more confident learners, who outperform their peers in the classroom and on standardized tests.

Tutoring is a Remedial Band-aide.  KUMON is a Japanese methodology of learning math and reading.  In other words, KUMON is not the type of tutoring that is designed to get your child through the next test or report card.  Instead, it’s a way to learn and master the basic fundamental skills in math and reading, which your child will apply every day in their school work and on tests.  In this sense, unlike tutors, who are a remedial Band-aids, the KUMON in Lexington helps children become independent learners, who are focused, confident, and relaxed in their school’s classroom. 

SUMMARY: Is KUMON the Reason Why Asian American Students Earn the 
Highest Test Scores in Lexington, KY?

While having a lovely discussion about academics and education with the husband of the owner of the KUMON in Lexington, KY, he brought up that he believes some parents in Lexington think that Indian and Asian students outperform their children in school because, “we have a card hidden up our sleeves.”  But, he assured me, “We don’t.  It’s KUMON.” 

KUMON is a Reason Why Asian Americans Outperform their White Peers in Lexington, KY

It is true that KUMON parents have high expectations for their children. KUMON children study more effectively than their peers.  And, KUMON students are independent learners, who have mastered fundamentals in math and reading, both at and above their grade level.  Plus, studies have shown that KUMON students’ test scores are considerably higher than non-KUMON students scores, and, perhaps most important, KUMON students do not find working with numbers to be upsetting. (p. 118-119).

So, it could be that parents in Lexington, KY are posing the wrong question when asking, “Why do Asian American students out-perform my kid in school and on tests?”  The right question could be, “How can I incorporate an Asian-based methodology into my child’s education?”