Math performance has slightly rebounded since the Covid-19 pandemic closed schools, but reading performance hasn’t bounced back, according to new National Assessment of Educational Progress data released Wednesday.
That’s the case for North Carolina and the nation, where the percentages of students testing at the “basic” or above levels has been diminishing for the past decade.
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On Wednesday, education groups released statements of disappointment in the results, some suggesting improvements to teacher supports and curriculum — things North Carolina is working on, to an extent. Meanwhile, the state’s school systems are grappling with tighter finances as more than $6 billion in federal pandemic stimulus dollars — much of which helped fund tutoring, summer enrichment and other academic and emotional support — have now all been spent.
“The news is not good,” Peggy Carr, the director of the National Center for Educational Statistics, told reporters during a call ahead of the data’s release. The data shows students are not making enough progress toward recovery from learning lost while schools were closed, she said. The gains that were seen are largely attributable to higher-achieving students doing even better than before, she said.
Carr is especially concerned that the underwhelming results may reflect relatively poor student attendance. Chronic absenteeism — defined as missing at least 10% of school days, spiked to one-third of all North Carolina students just after schools returned to in-person learning. It’s declined since but remains much higher than before the pandemic. Twenty-five percent of all North Carolina students experienced chronic absenteeism during the 2023-24 school year, up from 16% during the 2018-19 school year.
“‘If students aren’t in school, they can’t learn’ is what this data are underscoring,” Carr said.
The data is known as the Nation’s Report Card. The National Assessment of Educational Progress test — conducted every two years — is the best means of comparing achievement state-to-state because it's the only test administered to representative samples of students in every state.
‘Screens in their faces’
North Carolina's average math scores are above the national average but the state's reading scores are below the national average.
That’s despite recent efforts to change how preschool through fifth-grade teachers teach students to read. However, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction notes the early 2024 period in which the fourth-graders were tested wouldn’t necessarily reflect the new training; training wasn’t completed until June 2024 and many of the fourth-graders at the time may have been taught under old methods or by teachers who were in the middle of training.
The NAEP scores show the effects of the pandemic are still being felt and pointed out that last year’s fourth-graders were in kindergarten in 2020, state Superintendent said in a statement.
“These students had their learning disrupted during a critical time in their early education,” Green said. “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. 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.”
North Carolina isn’t the only state that’s been pivoting toward science-based reading instruction. Dozens of states across the country have made moves, whether in curriculum, training or state laws, since 2020.
“Our nation is facing complex challenges in reading,” Carr said.
Carr said children are often reading now on tablets and laptops, rather by using books.
A growing criticism of schools is how rarely students read books from start to finish anymore. Schools say they can’t hardly teach whole books anymore because of the required standards they must cover for standardized tests.
Isabel Gissinger, a parent, echoed Carr. She told WRAL News she wasn’t surprised reading scores were going down.
“This generation of kids are constantly with screens in their faces, so there's less time reading, Gissinger said.
She tries to overcome that in her household by banning TV and screens on weeknights. She thinks it works.
“It is important for our kids to focus on reading,” she said.
The scores
The NAEP data show declines in math and reading performance among North Carolina students and students across the U.S. for the past decade.
- In 2013, 87% of North Carolina fourth-graders tested at basic, proficient or advanced levels in math. By 2019, that dropped to 82% and by 2024, it dropped to 77%. Basic level shows some mastery but not complete mastery and, according to Carr, is a level similar to what most states consider “proficient” on their own state standardized exams.
- In 2013, 69% of North Carolina fourth-graders tested at basic, proficient or advanced levels in reading. By 2019, that dropped to 67% and by 2024, it dropped to 58%.
- In 2013, 75% of North Carolina eighth-graders tested at basic, proficient or advanced levels in math. By 2019, that dropped to 70% and by 2024, it dropped to 62%.
- In 2013, 76% of North Carolina eighth-graders tested at basic, proficient or advanced levels in reading. By 2019, that dropped to 72% and by 2024, it dropped to 65%.
Nationally, the numbers follow a similar pattern:
- In 2013, 83% of U.S. fourth-graders tested at basic, proficient or advanced levels in math. By 2019, that dropped just to 81% and by 2024, it dropped to 76%.
- In 2013, 68% of U.S. fourth-graders tested at basic, proficient or advanced levels in reading. By 2019, that dropped just to 66% and by 2024, it dropped to 60%.
- In 2013, 74% of U.S. eighth-graders tested at basic, proficient or advanced levels in math. By 2019, that dropped to 69% and by 2024, it dropped to 61%.
- In 2013, 78% of U.S. eighth-graders tested at basic, proficient or advanced levels in reading. By 2019, that dropped to 73% and by 2024, it dropped to 67%.
What happens now?
Leaders are already responding to the news.
At the same time, the results don’t come as a huge surprise to state leaders who knew reading scores weren’t where they needed to be during North Carolina’s standardized tests last year.
In North Carolina, Green intends to continue implementing the new science-based reading instruction and has even proposed training middle school teachers on it. DPI would need to acquire funding to provide training to middle school teachers, likely through the state General Assembly.
Several other organizations released statements Wednesday encouraging research-backed, high-quality curricula.
The National Council for Teacher Quality also pushed for more teacher support and mentorship, suggesting they would improve the quality of instruction for students.
North Carolina’s early career teachers often have mentors, but they are typically added duties for experienced teachers and the extra hours aren’t compensated. The state has a more rigorous program for teacher coaching and school leadership, called Advanced Teaching Roles. Teachers in those roles are paid more and continue to teach. While lawmakers have said they like the program, it’s only funded for a handful of school systems.
The American Federation of Teachers, one of the nation’s two biggest teachers’ unions, proposed adding more healthcare services at schools to support students and draw in their families. The group also suggested further curbing smartphone use during the school day, an idea gaining traction and popularity in North Carolina and beyond. While most schools already prohibit cellphone use during class time, those prohibitions often don’t come with strong enforcement mechanisms, and teachers say they tire of attempting to keep students’ off of cellphones, often giving up.
The Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University suggested states consider looking at the return on investment of some education initiatives to prioritize what works best, acknowledging tighter budgets. The group did say, however, that considerable federal investment in schools has helped several states that have made progress toward reversing learning loss.
Information for this article was contributed by WRAL anchor/reporter Julian Grace.