Education Expert Explains Declining Reading and Math Scores in US High School Seniors

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Results

• 📉 Reading and math scores among high school seniors have reached their lowest point in over two decades, according to the latest "Nation's Report Card."
• ⚠️ Student achievement has seen a significant decline since the pandemic, with average reading scores being the lowest since 1992.
• 📚 Nearly a third of seniors lack the basic reading skills needed to comprehend a given text.
• 📊 Average math scores have also fallen to their lowest levels since 2005.

Key Theories for Score Decline

• 🧪 Three main hypotheses are proposed: a decline in test-based accountability since the No Child Left Behind Act expired in 2015, a rise in social media use (particularly among lower-achieving students), and an increase in student absenteeism.
• 📈 The decline is disproportionately affecting lower-achieving students, with the 10th percentile student losing approximately two grade levels of achievement since 2015, potentially impacting future income inequality.

The Critical Role of Reading and Accountability

• 🔑 Early grade reading is crucial for overall educational attainment and future earnings, but the current score decline extends well beyond elementary grades into 8th and 12th grade.
• 🎯 While test-based accountability alone is insufficient, its reduction since 2015 correlates with declining achievement, especially for struggling students.
• 💡 Recovering from this trend requires addressing absenteeism and understanding the impact of cell phone bans and social media use on student performance.
• 🔍 Effective solutions involve states highlighting strategies to lower absenteeism and piloting methods to reduce social media use, with a focus on spreading what works.