Final answer:
National competency profiles aim to provide a consistent standard across states for student skills and knowledge, addressing inequalities highlighted by international assessments like the PIAAC and domestic disparities between state and federal testing outcomes.
Step-by-step explanation:
National competency profiles ensure that there is a consistent standard of skills and knowledge that students are expected to achieve, regardless of where they are educated. These profiles address the issue highlighted by the Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), which reflected how different education standards can lead to varying skill levels in literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving in technology-rich environments. By pursuing national standards, as was the case with the encouragement for common standards in English and math, national competency profiles aim to provide equality in education and to establish clear benchmarks for student progress across states.
The lack of uniform education standards across states can lead to disparities in proficiency ratings and student preparedness. For example, students may pass state-level exams but fail federal ones due to inconsistent standards. The push toward national standards is an effort to prevent such inconsistencies and to create an education system where all students, regardless of their state, have access to the same quality of education and are assessed against uniform criteria.