Nation's Report Card shows further declines in reading, slight improvement in math
Math improvement is scarce, reading scores are down and the takeaway is learning loss has yet to get significantly better in the latest data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) released early Wednesday.
'Our Nation's Report Card is out, and the news is not good. We're not seeing the progress we need to regain the ground students' loss during the pandemic, and where we are seeing signs of recovery, they're mostly in math and largely driven by higher performance groups,' National Center for Education Statistics Commissioner Peggy Carr said.
Reading has taken a significant hit, with both fourth and eighth graders seeing a drop in scores from 2022 to 2024, continuing the declines seen since 2017.
The NAEP found the percentage of eighth graders who are reading below the group's baseline is the largest in assessment history. For fourth graders reading below the line, it is the largest percentage in 20 years.
For reading, the lowest performing students in fourth and eighth grade, at the 10th and 25th percentiles, had scores that were at the lowest since 1992, the first time the NAEP gave a reading assessment.
The reasons for these reading scores are complex, with some of the proposed problems including students reading for fun less and missing school.
'We also see that lower performers, readers, they're not coming to school,' Carr said.
The hope and progress seen from the data have been in math, where fourth graders got a 2-point gain between 2022 and 2024 after dropping 5 points between 2019 and 2022. Eighth graders saw no significant change in their math scores.
Also, local and some state data has given Carr and other officials hope.
Carr pointed out Louisiana fourth grade reading and Alabama fourth grade math as doing 'what most states were unable' through their improved results.
'There are encouraging signs of recovery. They can be found below the surface data among some state and urban school districts,' Carr said.
Between reading and math, concerns grow with the widening gap between highest and lowest performing students.
In eighth grade math, there was no significant change in math scores due to the big differences in higher performing students seeing increases but lower performing ones declining. For fourth graders, the math scores of lower performing students stayed the same while, higher performing ones increased.
Lesley Muldoon, executive director of the National Assessment Governing Board, said due to the data results the board is urging stakeholders to study the trend line NAEP has of how progress was made before when student scores dropped, give urgent attention to the lowest performing students and set a high bar for what students need to know.
The results are likely to start another debate of who is to blame and put a fire under the Trump administration to see where these scores will go under his tenure.
'When we fail our children, we fail our nation's future. Today's NAEP scores continue the concerning trend of declining performance nationwide. This is clearly a reflection of the education bureaucracy continuing to focus on woke policies rather than helping students learn and grow,' said House Education and the Workforce Committee Chair Tim Walberg (R-Mich.)
'I'm thankful we have an administration that is looking to reverse course, and I look forward to helping reform our education system to better serve our youth,' Walberg added.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Newsweek
19-06-2025
- Newsweek
Gen Z's Love for School Increasing
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Gen Z students have reported their most positive evaluations of schools in years, 71 percent awarding an A or B for this year in a Gallup and Walton Family Foundation report. Newsweek has contacted the Department of Education for comment via email. Why It Matters The report, published on Wednesday, June 18, comes amid a litany of concerns about American education. A report released in January, 2025, from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) found that the reading and math skills of fourth and eighth-grade students have declined in multiple states to below the national average. 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High school freshmen and sophomore students at Concordia High School using Apple iPads in the world geography classroom at the private religious school outside Austin, Texas. High school freshmen and sophomore students at Concordia High School using Apple iPads in the world geography classroom at the private religious school outside Austin, Texas. Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Corbis via Getty Images Students' average reported GPA for their schools reached 2.92, while parent-assigned averages also increased to 3.13, further reflecting the uptick in satisfaction. Gallup's findings also showed Black and Hispanic students posting the greatest year-over-year gains. The 2025 Gallup and Walton Family Foundation Student Report Card was based on a survey of 1,551 students and their parents, taken between May 16 and May 27. 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"From our three years of data, we clearly and consistently see that students who are more engaged in the classroom and give their schools higher marks also report better academic achievement and lower absenteeism," Hrynowski said. Matt Eicheldinger a New York Times bestselling author and Instagram and TikTok creator with a background in teaching, told Newsweek via email: "It can be easy to view these perception shifts as a valuable insight of the U.S. education system, but they should not be mistaken for definite indicators of the overall health of the system. "Satisfaction may reflect school climate, stronger relationships, and more inclusive environment, but true educational health is multifaceted." Eicheldinger added that we need to consider academic outcomes, access equality and teacher retention, as well as funding and long-term student success. "Without addressing these other systemic factors, increased satisfaction alone gives a misleading picture of progress," he said. 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Chicago Tribune
16-06-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Jerald McNair: While schools are out, our youths need to continue to read
As the summer approaches and the school year ends, schools across the country are concerned about the upcoming year and the federal cuts that may come with the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education. The concern is even more pressing considering a report released in January by the National Assessment of Educational Progress that shows that the reading proficiency for fourth and eighth graders in the United States continues to decline. Last year, their proficiency declined by 2 points compared with 2022. In fact, 19 states had a fourth grade reading score below the national average of 214. For eighth graders, 11 states had scores much lower than the national average of 257. What we do know about educational data is there is often a decline in reading scores in the summer, which is referred to as 'summer slope' or 'summer slide.' Data from the Northwest Evaluation Association shows that third to fifth graders lose 20% of their school-year gains in reading. This kind of data hits educators, including administrators, quite hard. What more can we do? Does this one biennial test represent all of what schools are doing to improve the reading skills of students throughout the year? As we seek answers, what gets lost in the discussion is the myriad of variables that influence reading results and why they can be so volatile, particularly for young readers, whose foundational skills have yet to develop. When youths don't read enough, their reading score results will often stagnate or decline. Average instructional time for a student in the United States is 5.7 hours per day. Reading represents only a portion of that time. If the only time young people read books is when they are at school, reading scores across our nation will not improve. Now more than ever, it's important that our youths continue to read throughout the summer. For those students not attending summer school, it's essential that parents and caregivers designate times for their children to read, even on vacation. That means putting some limits on use of devices. If the family is traveling, requiring reading can prove to be beneficial. Neuropsychology and Education Services for Children and Adolescents, a practice in New England, recommends that children read at least 20 minutes per day after being in school all day. It will expose them to 1.8 million words in one school year. During summer break, continuing that practice can have a profound impact on reading efficiency for students, preventing some of the reading loss that happens during summer break. Having youths not only visit the library but also obtain a library card is recommended. The American Library Association maintains that library cards fuel academic achievement. Through the summer, many libraries host events and activities to engage youths and can encourage them to become lifelong readers. Unfortunately for education in our country, the budget proposed by President Donald Trump, known as the 'Big, Beautiful Bill,' may result in 40 federal K-12 programs being cut. The president's budget proposal keeps top-line funding intact for the Education Department's two biggest sources for schools, Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, an analysis by Education Week says. However, the bill asks Congress to eliminate nearly four dozen other grant programs that provide services for specific K-12 student populations. It comes down to a proposed cut of $12 billion to the U.S. Department of Education budget at the beginning of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1. School districts may have to do more with less. With reading data continuing to show a decline, it's more than concerning. It makes this summer, and summers in the foreseeable future, particularly important. President John F. Kennedy once said: 'Children are the world's most valuable resource. And its best hope for the future.' How we meet the challenges of the future, compete in this global economy and stay on the cutting edge of technological improvements and advancements depends on how educated our youths are. It's important to understand that the learning loss that COVID-19 caused is still being felt. Data from the Harvard Graduate School of Education states that when a student experiences learning loss due to an interruption, students generally recover 20% to 30% of the lost ground the first year but typically make no more recovery in the next three to four years. So much work has to be done. We can start by making certain our youths continue to pick up a book and read over the summer. Perhaps our iconic and talented entertainers Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Shaboozey and others can lead the way and positively influence our youths by saying, 'Summer reading is summer fun.'
Newsweek
07-06-2025
- Newsweek
Gen Z Parents Not Reading to Children Alarms Experts
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Literacy rates are declining, screen time is increasing, and experts are sounding the alarm on the death of parents reading to their children. Though it is critical for their cognitive development, there has been a significant drop in parents, particularly those from younger generations such as Gen Z, reading to their children, and fewer are doing so for pleasure. As the alarm sounds on what could be a burgeoning literacy crisis, Newsweek spoke to the experts to find out more. Reading Time Down, Screen Time Up Recent research and data have shown there is a clear pattern among young children and the media that they are consuming: reading is on the decline, and screen time is on the up. Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty/Canva On average, children aged 8 to 12 spend between four and six hours watching and using screens each day, and teenagers can spend up to nine hours on screens, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Screen Time and Children In 1984, the first year that data is available for, 35 percent of 13-year-olds reported that they were reading for fun "almost everyday." By 2023, this figure had dropped to 14 percent, as per the NAEP. NAEP Long-Term Trends: Student Experiences A recent survey from HarperCollins UK found that there is a pronounced disinterest in reading aloud for younger parents. Less than half of parents of children up to 13 years old describe reading aloud to kids as being "fun," for them; and 29 percent of children aged 5 to 13 think that reading is more "a subject to learn," than "a fun thing to do." Only 32 percent of 5- to 10-year-olds will frequently choose to read from enjoyment, which is down from 55 percent back in 2012. Literacy rates in the U.S. appear to be decreasing, dropping nearly 10 points since 2017. In December, data released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) showed that 28 percent of adults in the U.S. ranked at the lowest levels of literacy, compared to 19 percent in 2017 Why Is It Important To Read to Children? "There are so many advantages to reading together with your child," Hugh Rabagliati, a psychology professor at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, told Newsweek. "Books help kids to learn new concepts and ideas; they encourage kids to engage in discussion; and they prepare kids for reading, through attending to wordplay and vocabulary." Carmel Houston-Price, professor of language and cognitive development at the University of Reading in England, told Newsweek over email: "For young children, it's 'book-sharing' rather than 'reading' that best supports their development, as 'sharing' implies that the child and parent are not just reading the printed pages but are actively engaging with the book and each other; turning the pages, repeating the lines, talking about the pictures, relating the story to the child's own experiences. "Babies and toddlers often show interest in looking at books before their first birthday, particularly books with textures, flaps or rhymes that catch their attention, precisely because these types of books allow the type of exploration and interaction with the adult that is beneficial to children's learning," Houston-Price said. She added: "Book-sharing also supports children's early language development, both in terms of the vocabulary used in the book and children's skill in answering questions and telling stories." Stock photo: A person reads at the Rice University Library on April 26, 2022 in Houston, Texas. Stock photo: A person reads at the Rice University Library on April 26, 2022 in Houston, Maryanne Wolf, the director of the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice and professor-in-residence at the University of California, told Newsweek over email: "Few realize the multiple linguistic, cognitive, social-emotional, and neurological contributions made by the simple act of reading daily to one's young child---beginning from the first moments they can sit upon a lap. "Not only does the baby begin to associate reading with the emotions of love and protection, the language and cognitive circuits of the young brain are learning the sounds (phonemes) of their language, the meanings of first words, the slow appreciation of what books convey," Wolf added. What Is the Impact of Not Reading to Children? Not reading to children, then, will see a loss of these benefits. Houston-Price said that, without the opportunity to share books with parents, all these benefits are "likely to be lost." Wolf, meanwhile, said: "The loss of this opportunity by parents will ineluctably affect the acquisition of reading by their children in ways and the delight we want every child to experience when learning to read." Stock photo: A student in the library reads a book on February 2, 2022 in New York City. Stock photo: A student in the library reads a book on February 2, 2022 in New York B. Neuman, professor of Childhood Education and Literacy Development at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, told Newsweek that, in settings where families aren't reading aloud, and books aren't present, "more often than not, children do not experience lots of things." "The scholarly culture that surrounds them early on, helping them establish a reading habit, less ability to attend to a storybook reading in school contexts, a limited understanding of the purpose of reading—joy, information, imagination," Neuman said. "Given what we know about early learning impacting on children's later development," Houston-Price said, "we should be giving young children the very best start in life, which includes opportunities to share books." How Can Reading Be Reintegrated Into Daily Routines? So, what should parents be doing to help reintegrate reading? Neuman said, "Parents should limit children's use of digital media," and should "consider a routine of reading to children regularly." Other tips for parents include carrying "books with them wherever they go," as well as "spending time reading themselves," which, in turn, provides a "good model of reading enjoyment to children." And technology isn't necessarily the enemy here. Rabagliati told Newsweek: "There are also some great technological solutions, like screen-free Yoto Players. These provide some of the same benefits of reading aloud, but don't require the parents to become a human audiobook." Houston-Price said that parents should make sure there are "age-appropriate books around the house that children can access." She added: "Regular visits to a local library might help to ensure there is variety on offer, but remember that young children enjoy repetition much more than adults do, so be prepared to read the same book over and over again. "Look at a book for just a few minutes at a time with very young children, or for as long as they are keen to," Houston-Price said, adding: "There's no need to read a book cover to cover or to read every line." She also noted: "Many children enjoy the routine of a story at bedtime, so perhaps let your child choose a book and take a few minutes to have a cuddle and a read before bed."
