America’s report card is out
Images: WSJ
The results from the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress, aka “America’s Report Card,” were published this week by an Education Department agency.
The report tracks the performance of US students in fourth grade and eighth grade, with assessments taken every few years.
This year’s headline? Students have continued to lose ground on reading skills in the wake of the pandemic, and have also made little improvement in math.
- Reading: Researchers found 60% of fourth-grade students and a record-low 67% of eighth-graders scored at a basic or better reading level in 2024, down from recent peaks of 69% and 78%, respectively, in the mid-2010s.
- Math: The report found a slight improvement in fourth-grade scores, with 76% at a basic or better level (up from 75% in 2022). But just 61% of eighth-graders showed the same proficiency, marking the lowest such figure since 1996.
Diagnosis unknown
Federal officials and researchers say there aren’t any definitive explanations for the recent decline in US students’ test scores, a trend which emerged several years prior to the pandemic – but they have several suggestions.
- Many experts note that schools have faced a string of new challenges in recent years, including rising student misbehavior, teacher burnout, cellphone distractions, chronic absenteeism, and public schools coming under increased political scrutiny.
It’s not just kids: A new paper from researcher Nat Malkus indicates performance declines have also been recorded in recent tests of adults’ skills, suggesting the problem could lie outside the classroom. In particular, Malkus cites the unprecedented amount of screen time for both children and adults in recent years.
Looking ahead…Studies have established a strong relationship between test scores and early career wages, implying that a decline in literacy levels can potentially lead to the US economy losing trillions of dollars in earnings over time.
📊 Flash poll (long-form): Calling all 25,000+ classrooms using the DONUT: What do you think is needed to get America’s young students back on track? The most thoughtful answers will be featured in Monday’s newsletter.
See a 360° view of what pundits are saying →
Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that many students today have been rewarded more for the quantity of their effort than for the quality, and this approach will only contribute to lower academic achievement in the long term.
- Others contend that a better curriculum alone will not improve students’ test scores and that teachers must place greater value on active involvement in student development and instruction.
- “No, You Don’t Get an A for Effort.” –Adam Grant, New York Times
- “Curriculum Alone Won’t Fix America’s Reading Crisis — Teachers Must Have a Say.” –Evan Stone & Eric Hirsch, The 74
- “Has Technology Been Bad for Reading and Learning?”–Rick Hess, Education Week
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that the conversation about education needs to focus less on finding good teachers and more on finding ways to ensure that students learn to read as early as possible so that they can learn and understand other subjects later.
- Others contend that the school system and teachers themselves are to blame for not making classrooms engaging or interesting enough for students to want to learn, and asking students to do the bare minimum.
- “It’s the kids who can’t read, not the teachers.” –Chicago Tribune Editorial Board
- “As a teacher for 26 years, I’ve seen how we dumbed down education — and how kids suffer.”–Jeremy Adams, New York Post
- “More evidence that U.S. public schools are broken.” –Las Vegas Review-Journal Editorial Board
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