Current:Home > InvestNew data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US -ProsperPlan Hub
New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
View
Date:2025-04-18 12:30:07
America’s fourth and eighth grade students’ sliding reading scores worsened in 2024, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which has been dubbed the nation’s report card.
“The nation's report card is out and the news is not good,” National Center for Education Statistics Commissioner Peggy G. Carr said on a call with reporters on Tuesday.
“Students are not where they need to be or where we want them to be,” she said. “Our students, for the most part, continue to perform below the pre-pandemic levels, and our children’s reading continues to slide in both grades and subjects."
"And, most notably, our nation’s struggling readers continue to decline the most,” Carr added.
The report card, released every two years by the Department of Education, is the largest assessment of students’ performance in public and private schools across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. It paints a grim picture of scores in critical subjects, underscoring urgent challenges for schools, policymakers and families seeking to improve performance.
Compared to 2022, this year’s average reading scores dropped by 2 points for both fourth and eighth grade assessments, according to the NCES data conducted between January and March 2024. That adds to the 3-point decrease for both grades in 2022. Forty percent of fourth graders read below NAEP basic levels, and about a third of eighth graders read below the basic level.
"The continued declines in reading scores are particularly troubling," National Assessment Governing Board member Patrick Kelly said, adding: "Reading is foundational to all subjects, and failure to read well keeps students from accessing information and building knowledge across content areas."
Despite the decline in reading, there was some recovery in math in 2024, but the increase has not returned students to pre-pandemic levels.
Mathematics scores climbed by 2 points for fourth graders and did not change for eighth graders from the 2022 findings. As ABC News reported two years ago, the 2022 declines in math were the largest drops in NAEP’s history.
But Peggy Carr stressed this is not solely a pandemic story. Reading scores have been declining since 2017. Among the lowest-level achievers, scores are now at the worst point since 1992.
The report card does not provide causes for the declines in scores. On the call with reporters, officials said data shows there has been a decline in students who say they’re reading “for enjoyment,” and teachers are not focusing as much on “essay responses” to questions.
The pandemic exacerbated the problems facing education in reading, math and history, according to NAEP’s 2022 assessments. Fourth grade and eighth grade students saw their largest declines ever in math, and eighth grade students received the lowest history scores since 1994, when the history assessment was first administered.
NCES data also found that while chronic absenteeism has decreased since the last assessment, student attendance is contributing to the dismal numbers. NCES defines chronic absenteeism as missing at least 10% of the school year.
“The data are clear: Students who don't come to school are not improving,” Carr emphasized on the call.
The call also outlined a bleak outlook for the country’s lowest-performing students.
“There’s a widening achievement gap in this country and it has worsened since the pandemic, especially for grade eight,” Carr said.
It’s important to note NAEP is a challenging assessment, according to Carr. Students’ results are scored as basic, proficient or advanced. Below basic scores do not mean a child can’t read; however, Carr noted it is still worrying that scores continue to fall.
This comes as the K-12 education debate turned political during the pandemic when schools shuttered for in-person learning and parents were exposed to their child’s curriculum. Conservatives have made it a culture wars issue and denounced public schools for indoctrinating kids with inappropriate gender and critical race theory.
Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, the Chairman of the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, told ABC News that these results hurt vulnerable children the most, as the previous administration kept schools shuttered longer than the public health guidance.
The chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee, Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan, said the report exposes the nation’s failing education system.
“This is clearly a reflection of the education bureaucracy continuing to focus on woke policies rather than helping students learn and grow,” the Republican congressman wrote in a statement to ABC News.
NCES officials on the call also warned that if President Donald Trump delivers on his pledge to shutter the Department of Education, they’re unsure if it will impact future assessments.
“We don't know what will happen to NCES or NAEP,” Carr said when asked by ABC News. “We are hopeful that people will see the value in these data and what we are doing for the country.”
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
veryGood! (1)
Related
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- Snoop Dogg said he quit smoking, but it was a ruse. Here's why some experts aren't laughing.
- Judge denies corrupt Baltimore ex-detective’s request for compassionate release
- A Las Vegas high school grapples with how a feud over stolen items escalated into a fatal beating
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Suspected militants kill 5, including 2 soldiers, in pair of bombings in northwest Pakistan
- Finland erects barriers at border with Russia to control influx of migrants. The Kremlin objects
- College Football Playoff rankings: Washington moves up to No. 4 ahead of Florida State
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- The US has thwarted a plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader, an AP source says
Ranking
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- Border crossings closed after vehicle explosion on bridge connecting New York and Canada
- Drama overload: Dissecting the spectacle of Ohio State-Michigan clash | College Football Fix
- The top contenders to lead the Netherlands, from a former refugee to an anti-Islam populist
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- What can trigger an itch? Scientists have found a new culprit
- Former Boy Scout leader pleads guilty to sexually assaulting New Hampshire boy decades ago
- Feds push for FISA Section 702 wiretapping reauthorization amid heightened potential for violence
Recommendation
Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
An election to replace the longest-serving leader of the Netherlands gives voters a clean slate
Snoop Dogg said he quit smoking, but it was a ruse. Here's why some experts aren't laughing.
What is the longest-running sitcom? This show keeps the laughs coming... and coming
The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
Police say some 70 bullets fired in North Philadelphia shooting that left 2 dead, 5 wounded
Palestinian flag displayed by fans of Scottish club Celtic at Champions League game draws UEFA fine
What is the longest-running sitcom? This show keeps the laughs coming... and coming