The average eighth-grade reading score among public school students on the National Assessment of Educational Progress declined this year in more than half of the states, as the New York Times reports. The lowest performing students suffered the greatest losses in their scores.
The test samples fourth- and eighth-grade students from across the country — more than 290,000 students each — in math and reading ability every two years. “Over the past decade, there has been no progress in either mathematics or reading performance, and the lowest performing students are doing worse,” Peggy G. Carr, the associate commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, said in a statement.
That tip in scores was most concerning on the test’s reading portion, where eighth graders in the bottom tenth percentile in reading achievement lost six points compared to 2017’s results. Students in the 50th percentile lost three points, and high-achieving students in the 90th percentile lost just one point.
Overall, 31 states in the country saw their average eighth-grade reading scores drop by two to seven points. Indiana, New Hampshire and Virginia were the states that saw the biggest declines. Fourth-grade reading scores also declined significantly in 17 states.
“Eighth grade is a transitional point in preparing students for success in high school, so it is critical that researchers further explore the declines we are seeing here,” Carr said.
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