Christy Hovanetz, Ph.D., is a Senior Policy Fellow for ExcelinEd focusing on school accountability and math policies.
This week, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often referred to as the Nation’s Report Card, released long-term trend results for reading and math assessments given to 13-year-olds last October through December.
The average scores for 13-year-olds declined by nearly a half a grade level (4 points) in reading and nearly a full grade level (9 points) in mathematics compared to the previous assessment, which was administered during the 2019–20 school year. Compared to a decade ago, average scores declined seven points in reading and 14 points in mathematics.
The current trend for 13-year-olds mirrors the 2022 special administration of the NAEP long-term trend assessments for nine-year-old students that was intended to examine student achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Average scores in that assessment declined by half a grade level (5 points) in reading and by more than half a grade level (7 points) in mathematics compared to 2020.
These results should be a clarion call at the state level that our students need additional support—and that starts with quality policies.
Here are three recommendations that states can embrace right now that have proven results for students:
Rigorous school accountability must be reinstituted. It is undeniable that the most robust decade of NAEP score improvement occurred when states were required to hold schools accountable for students meeting proficiency on state standards. Not only did scores improve, but achievement gaps narrowed from 1999 to 2012. Loosening accountability requirements resulted in a decade of slow decline leading up to COVID.
Trend in NAEP long-term trend reading average scores for 9- and 13-year-old students
Accountability spurs school improvement and increases student performance by providing transparent, objective information to parents, educators and the public about school effectiveness. Research on Florida’s A-F system[1] found schools that were facing accountability pressure changed their instructional practices in meaningful ways, which explained some of the test score gains.
This is only the second time in NAEP long-term trend history that reading scores have declined for 13-year-olds.
Thankfully, we know what works.
To ensure every child can read by third grade, all educators must be trained in the science of reading–an evidence-based approach to teach the understanding of sounds, phonics/decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Many states have embraced the science of reading in recent years. It’s a strategic and positive transformation that may require adopting new curricula at the local level; changing teacher-prep programs in colleges of education; and installing literacy coaches in every elementary and middle school.
Concurrently, literacy practices that fail to teach students how to decode words should be banned. Teaching models that include the “three-cueing” approach, which asks students to look at pictures and guess instead of sounding out words, must be scrapped.
Our experts at ExcelinEd have put together 17 early literacy policy principles that states should follow to improve outcomes and provide support to families and educators. You can learn more about how your state compares using our interactive map.
Students were struggling in math even before COVID began. Along with trending national declines in math performance over the past decade, the largest decline in math performance history occurred for 13-year-olds from 2020 to 2023. These alarming results demand that states make an immediate, concerted effort to reverse the trend performance to regain lost ground and overcome the decade of performance decline.
Unfortunately, there are not quick fixes to reverse a decade-long trend. Solutions require a comprehensive K-8 math strategy that includes daily math instruction with high-quality content and instructional materials; support for teachers; assessments and parent notification; interventions; and resources for families and caregivers.
States must ensure that students have daily math instruction with an effective teacher. Curriculum should have high-quality content focused on procedural and conceptual problem-solving skills and knowledge of whole numbers, fractions and geometry. Students who are behind need personalized math support, including extra time and instruction at least three times a week. Students graduating from high school should have mastered at least Algebra I.
The long-term trend NAEP data are national, which makes it harder to know which states are facing the greatest challenges. But we know from decades of research that strong accountability systems coupled with quality reading and math instruction will lead to improved student outcomes.
We also know these policies aren’t adopted in a vacuum. Families, educators, school leaders, policymakers and others have a lot at stake—and often a lot of questions. We’re here to help, and we look forward to working in partnership at the state level to reverse these trend lines. Our goal is to ensure all students have an opportunity to succeed within and beyond our K-12 system.
[1] Rouse, Cecilia Elena; Hannaway, Jane; Goldhaber, Dan; and Figlio, David. Feeling the Florida Heat? How Low-Performing Schools Respond to Voucher and Accountability Pressure. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy Vol. 5, No. 2 (May 2013), pp. 251-28.
[2] Kane, T., Doty E., Patterson, T., Staiger, D., (2022) What Do Changes in State Test Scores Imply for Later Life Outcomes? Cambridge, MA: Center for Education Policy Research, Harvard University
