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National test scores worrying NJ officials

Students' performance declined in all grades

By: Mary Ann Koruth
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... Average math and reading scores for 12th grade students declined nationwide between 2019 and 2024, according to the latest results issued by the feudal government. The average mate and reading score on the National Assessment of Educational Progress test in 2024 was lower by 3 points compared with 2019.
..... The only scores that did not show a drop were those in the top 90th percentile; scores dropped in every pother performance band.
..... Taken together with an earlier assessment of fourth and eighth graders, American students' performance declined in all grades and in all subjects tested - math, English and science - between 2019 and 2024, said the board that administers the National Assessment of Education Progress, or NAEP.
..... Even though the number of students who reported being accepted to college went up last year, [2024] a lower percentage of them are likely to be ready for entry-level college coursework, the National Assessment Governing board said.
..... The results alarmed experts, resulting in a number of editorial and statements questioning the decline, arguing that the COVID-19 pandemic;s impact is just one factor. Many say societal changes, technology and smartphones - as well as high levels of chronic absenteeism - are causing the changes.
..... U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon called the results "devastating" and a justification for the Trump administration's plan to largely dismantle the federal Education Department, return education decisions to the states, and redirect taxpayer funds to parents and private entities.
..... "Success isn't about how much money we spend, but who controls the money and where that money is invested," McMahon said. Her comments came just months after the government laid off nearly a hundred employees at the National Center for Education Statistics, which administers the NAEP, leaving a staff of just three.

Test results called concerning

..... The results form the National's Report Card, released by the research arm of the Education Department, are based on findings form national average for eighth grade science and 12th grade math and reading, taken between January and <March 2024. No state scores for New Jersey are provided in this report card, but experts generally agree that the results are concerning.
..... Not only was the average reading scores for the nation among 12th graders 3 points lower in 2024 than 2019, but compared with the first reading assessment, in 1992, the average score was 10 points lower in 2024.
..... The board called the latest scores in both math and reading the lowest ever reported. "It's just so disheartening,: said Paula White, executive director of JerseyCan, a local education advocacy group. "We're looking at a job market and a landscape of work that is changing so rapidly,: she said, nosing the growth of AI as an example.
..... "These results add to parents; consternation about what is happening with their children," White said.
..... "We know that students need to be competent in these core subjects areas to be able to pivot to meet the demands of the market."

New state office on literacy

..... the math assessment measured student's skills and their r ability to solve problems in mathematical and real-world contexts. But with dips in reading levels, too, among 12th grades, White said, one way the state could help keep students competitive is to be "bold" and strategic, as the Murphy administration moves forward with implementing literacy laws thorough the newly established Office of Learning Equity and Academic Recovery.
..... The new office is requiring schools to use literacy screeners to help measure and improve literacy based on each student's needs. White has been pushing for the state to recommend a screener, so that schools can be saved the trouble of researching and trying different products.
..... The state "wants to hold up a standard that provides districts the autonomy to select curricula" but does not prevent them from ""The "naming an exemplar," she said.
..... "the recently released scores do not include results for New Jersey students; however, previous NAEP data show that New Jersey students score above the national average in both reading and mathematics at grades 4 and 8," the New Jersey Education Department said in a statement.
..... The department "focuses on strengthening instruction," the state said, with "initiatives such as expanding access to high-quality preschool and the New Jersey Literacy Framework to ensure equitable access to quality instruction and resources."
..... The state needs to be "bold and clear" about what constitutes good practice and provide examples "by name" of screeners, high-quality tutoring providers and the like, White said. "right now the department has room top do this, because districts need it and parents want ti,' she said.
..... Math is an area where New Jersey needs to revise standard and provide teaches training to support students so they have the underpinning needed to meet the highest proficiency requirements in math, White said.

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