The latest release of federal test scores has painted a grim picture of the state of education in the United States. Despite hopes for a widespread recovery from the learning loss incurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, the results from last year’s National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that the slide in achievement, especially in reading, has only continued.
According to the NAEP results, the percentage of eighth graders with “below basic” reading skills was the largest in the exam’s three-decade history at 33 percent. Similarly, the percentage of fourth graders at “below basic” was the largest in 20 years, at 40 percent. While there was some progress in math, it was not enough to offset the losses experienced during the pandemic.
The recent reading declines have affected students across all racial and socioeconomic lines. Despite efforts in recent years to improve foundational literacy skills, struggling students continue to experience significant drops in achievement. Peggy Carr, the commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, emphasized the need to focus on supporting these low-performing students to reverse the trend.
One bright spot in the NAEP results was Louisiana, where fourth graders showed achievement levels that matched or exceeded those from before the pandemic. Louisiana’s success has been attributed to their adoption of the science of reading, a set of strategies that focus on structured phonics and vocabulary building.
However, experts are still puzzled by the overall dismal reading results. While the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have undoubtedly contributed to learning loss, reading scores began declining several years before the pandemic emerged. Some researchers suggest that factors like increased screen time, cellphone usage, and social media may also play a role in the declining literacy skills of students.
In math, the NAEP results show that higher-achieving students are performing at similar levels to previous years, but lower-achieving students have not made up the lost ground. The Gates Foundation, a philanthropy focused on improving math education, emphasizes the importance of getting more students to proficiency in higher-level math starting in middle school.
Student absenteeism has improved slightly since 2022, but rates remain higher than they were before the pandemic. Dr. Carr stresses the importance of regular school attendance for academic success.
Overall, the NAEP results underscore the challenges facing the education system in the United States. It is clear that more needs to be done to support struggling students, improve literacy and math instruction, and address the various factors that may be contributing to declining academic achievement.
