The reading proficiency of fourth-graders and eighth-graders has declined in more than half of U.S. states since 2017, according to the results of a national student achievement test released Wednesday.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the Nation’s Report Card, also showed students failed to make significant gains in mathematics.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos lamented the generally abysmal results, which she said reflected a “student achievement crisis.”
“This must be America’s wake-up call. We cannot abide these poor results any longer,” DeVos said in a statement.
The NAEP is taken every two years by a sample of fourth- and eighth-graders in reading and math. This year’s results, based on the test scores of about 600,000 students in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, showed a decline in performance in almost all categories.
Average scores were on par with those from about a decade earlier, but lower-performing students fared even worse this year than they did in 2009.
“Over the past decade, there has been no progress in either mathematics or reading performance, and the lowest performing students are doing worse,” Peggy Carr of the National Center for Education Statistics, which administers the test, told The Wall Street Journal.
“Compared to a decade ago, we see that lower achieving students made score declines in all of the assessments, while higher achieving students made score gains,” Carr added.
Eighth-graders’ reading and math scores both decreased from 2017. Fourth-graders saw a drop in just their reading scores. The average math score for fourth-graders was 1 point higher this year than in 2017.
DeVos expressed alarm at the low level of reading proficiency among students nationally.
Only 35% of fourth-graders were considered proficient in reading, according to the 2019 test results, a drop of 2 percentage points from 2017. Among eighth-graders, only 34% were proficient in reading ― also a decline of 2 percent.
“Our Nation’s Report Card shows that two thirds of American students can’t read at grade level. Two out of three!” the education chief decried, noting that 31 states had seen a decline in their eighth-grade reading scores since 2017, while fourth-grade reading scores had fallen in 17 states.
“Think about the mom or dad who cannot read, and so does not read to their own children at bedtime. Think about what that portends for their lifelong learning journeys. Think about what it means if they are passed along, grade to grade, not reading as they should,” DeVos said.
As the AP noted, most states saw stagnating or worsening test scores, but there were a couple of “bright spots.”
Mississippi and Washington, D.C., were the only two jurisdictions that improved in at least three of four categories.
“Our achievement is at an all-time high in Mississippi,” celebrated state Superintendent Carey Wright.
Some education experts suggested students’ worsening performance could be linked to spending cuts.
In a pointed critique of DeVos, who has sought to slash education funding, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), who chairs the House subcommittee that oversees federal spending on education, urged the education secretary this week to “join House Democrats and families across our nation by supporting increased investments in our public education system,” The New York Times reported.
DeVos shrugged off such suggestions, however, and used the test results to push her argument for expanding alternatives to traditional public schools, including religious schools and privately run charter schools.
“Government has never made anything better or cheaper, more effective or more efficient. And nowhere is that more true than in education,” DeVos said.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.