Latest reading and math scores for NC schools bring mixed news

Yahoo

30-01-2025

()
Math performance in North Carolina has slightly improved since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted schooling, but reading scores remain below pre-pandemic levels, according to new data released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Education.
This trend mirrors national results, where the percentage of students testing at or above the 'basic' level has been declining over the past decade.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the 'Nation's Report Card,' assesses student achievement in reading and math every two years among a representative sample of fourth- and eighth-graders nationwide.
Nationally, fourth-grade math scores improved, while eighth-grade math scores remained unchanged. North Carolina's math scores are above the national average, but the state's reading scores are below the national average.
The data also reveal a widening achievement gap between high- and low-performing students.
Nationally, average scores declined in both 4th and 8th grade reading, with the lowest performing students —those at the 25th and 10th percentile— scoring lower than their counterparts 30 years ago.
'These results clearly show that students are not where we need them to be or where we want them to be,' NCES Commissioner Peggy G. Carr said during a town hall Wednesday afternoon.
However, there were some bright spots. Two states – Alabama and Louisiana – exceeded their pre-pandemic 4th-grade reading scores. Additionally, student absenteeism, which worsened during the pandemic, showed signs of improvement in 2024.
North Carolina's new Superintendent of Public Instruction, Mo Green said this data show the ongoing impact of the pandemic on students.
'These students had their learning disrupted during a critical time in their early education. While it is always disappointing to see a lack of progress, the NAEP data tracks with trends we're seeing in state-level end-of-grade testing,' Green said. 'The widening achievement gap between our highest performing students and those with greater needs adds another layer of urgency to the work my team and I will be doing over the next four years to inspire excellence in our public schools.'
Green noted that the 2024 NAEP assessment, administered in the first quarter of that year, may not fully reflect the progress made in literacy education with the implementation of the 'science of reading' program — an initiative that changes how K-5 teachers teach students to read — in North Carolina schools.
Between 2021 and June 2024, more than 44,000 teachers, administrators and coaches completed K-5 or early childhood Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, or LETRS®, professional development course, according to the Department of Public Instruction.
According to DPI, the initiative is already beginning to bear fruit. Early literacy skills are showing improvement, with North Carolina students outperforming their peers nationally in grades 1-3 on the DIBELS 8 assessment.
'We can see in our DIBELS data that K-3 teachers are now laying a solid foundation for students' literacy skills,' Green said. 'While much can occur during the next two years, I am optimistic that this foundation of early literacy skills will be reflected in the 2026 NAEP results.'
Results from the 2024 NAEP Reading and Mathematics Assessments at Grades 4 and 8 compared to 2022:
Average score increased in mathematics at grade 4; no significant change at grade 8
Average scores declined in reading at both grades
No significant change for most states in both subjects and grades
Lower percentages of students absent 5 or more days in both subjects and grades