The latest result of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)—better known as The Nation’s Report Card—shed a worrying light on the academic performance of American children.
The decline in reading across all levels of achievement was evident, except for the highest performers in the fourth grade. Meanwhile, scores for the lower performers drove the overall score decrease in eighth-grade math.
According to the Report Card, Mississippi was the only state to improve in 2019 in fourth-grade reading, and Washington was the only one that improved in eighth grade reading. Fourth-grade reading declined in 17 states, and eighth-grade reading fell in 31. As for math, most states showed stagnant performance. Nine states improved in fourth-grade math, and three states saw improvement in eighth-grade math.
The Report Card also presents data from different racial and ethnic groups. White, Black, and Asian students mostly maintained their performances in math, while Hispanic fourth-graders scored higher in 2019 than in 2017, and Native American eighth-graders performed worse. By contrast, only Asian students hold their ground in eighth-grade reading.
“This country is in a student achievement crisis,” she argued, saying that the situation “has continued to worsen” over the past decade, especially for the “most vulnerable students.”
DeVos called the results “America’s wake-up call.” She said the problem had to be addressed, and the solution should be giving more freedom to parents who want to decide what’s the best way to educate their children, rather than throwing more money at poor-performing schools.
“This Administration has a transformational plan to help America’s forgotten students escape failing schools,” DeVos said. “By expanding education freedom, students can break out of the one-size-fits-all system and learn in ways that will unlock their full potential.”
“They deserve it. Parents demand it. And, it’s the only way to bring about the change our country desperately needs.”
