Scores dropping in Math and Reading for U.S. Students

Since 2017, the math and reading scores for fourth-and-right graders in the United States have been dropping. The government researchers are concerned over the decreasing reading achievement. Peggy Carr, associate commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, said during a press call Tuesday that “Over the past decade, there has been no progress in either mathematics or reading performance, and the lowest performing students are doing worse.”

The National Assessment of Education Progress or NAEP was given to more than 600,000 students. The students belonged to public schools and Catholic schools from every state and Washington, D.C. This also includes a break-out of student achievement in 27 large urban school districts. The reading scores were the notable drops.

The drop had occurred in 17 states with regard to fourth grade reading scores. The eight-graders didn’t perform well as well as the scores dropped in 31 states. As compared to 2017, the average reading scores for the fourth graders declined by 1 point while the eighth graders decline was 3 points. Carr said, A 3-point decline for the country is substantial in as much as 31 states are driving it, large states, small states – and it’s a very meaningful decline.”

Carr said that over the long-term reading level, people who struggled in them made no progress from the first NAEP administration almost 30 years ago. The fourth graders did well in math achievement as there was a 1-point increase while the eighth graders went the opposite way with a 1-point decline.

Washington, D.C was the only place that posted positive results in three out of the four grade-subject combinations. Tonya Matthews, vice chairwoman of the National Assessment Governing Board said “The fact that students who need to make the most academic progress are instead making no progress or are falling further behind is extremely troubling.”