Nation's Report Card: 'Sobering results' for US students entering, exiting high school

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The Nation's Report Card shows declining scores for US 8th graders in science.
• 12th graders' math and reading scores are lower than previous assessments, per NAEP.
• Utah students outperform national averages, but 8th-grade reading scores continue to decline.

SALT LAKE CITY — If the updated Nation's Report Card was an individual student's report card, a "Parent-Teacher Conference Requested" comment would likely be in order.

The National Assessment of Education Progress, or NAEP — aka "the Nation's Report Card" — is reporting declining scores for the nation's eighth graders in science and 12th graders in math and reading.

"These results are sobering," NCES acting Commissioner Matthew Soldner said in an NAEP news release. "The drop in overall scores coincides with significant declines in achievement among our lowest-performing students, continuing a downward trend that began even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Among our nation's high school seniors, we're now seeing a larger percentage of students scoring below the NAEP Basic achievement level in mathematics and reading than in any previous assessment."

Tuesday's findings also prompted a quick response from Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon.

"Today's NAEP results confirm a devastating trend: American students are testing at historic lows across all of K-12," McMahon said in a DOE release.

So how are Utah kids faring?

In Utah, this year's "report card" marks are better than most, but there's still cause for concern, with reading scores among the state's eighth graders continuing to decline.

According to data released by the NAEP in January, Beehive State students performed "significantly higher" in math than the national public average for both fourth and eighth graders in 2024.

And Utah's fourth and eighth graders also outperformed their national counterparts, on average, in reading.

Key Utah results: Math

• In 2024, the average math score of fourth grade students in Utah was 242 — higher than the average score of 237 for students in the nation.
• The average score for Utah fourth grade students in 2024 (242) was not significantly different from their average score in 2022 (240).
• The average math score for Utah fourth grade male students was 245. For female students, 238.
• In 2024, the average math score of eighth grade students in Utah was 282 — higher than the average score of 272 for students in the nation.
• The average math score for Utah eighth graders (282) was not significantly different from their average score in 2022 (282).
• The average math score for Utah eighth grade male students was 283. For female students, 280.

Key Utah results: Reading

• In 2024, the average reading score of fourth grade students in Utah was 219 — higher than the average score of 214 for students in the nation.
• The average reading score for fourth grade students in Utah in 2024 (219) was not significantly different from their average score in 2022 (221).
• The average reading score for fourth grade female students in Utah was 223. For male students, 216.
• In 2024, the average reading score of eighth grade students in Utah was 261 — higher than the average score of 257 for students in the nation.
• The average reading score for eighth grade students in Utah (261) was lower than their average in 2022 (265).
• The average reading score for eighth grade female students in Utah was 265. For male students, 258.

When the 2024 results revealed declining reading scores for eighth graders earlier this year, the Utah State Board of Education signaled its commitment to identifying the causes of declining reading scores — while implementing "targeted efforts" and proven strategies.

"Our focus is on ensuring measurable improvements in reading outcomes by working with schools to equip educators and students with tools and targeted training," said Darin Nielsen, deputy superintendent of student learning, in the state board report.

"We are committed to implementing evidence-based programs that address reading challenges early, providing intensive support where it's needed most, and tracking progress to make sure every student has the opportunity to improve and succeed."

Absenteeism: A nationwide battle

The latest results from the Nation's Report Card, according to the NCES, also reveal longer-term trends among American students.

The most recent data released Tuesday — which includes newly released results from the NAEP 2024 science assessment at grade 8 and mathematics and reading assessments at grade 12 — did not provide specific data regarding Utah students.

When examined alongside results from previous decades, the 2024 national scores reveal longer-term trends. Compared to the findings from the first year of each assessment's trend line:

• The grade 8 science score in 2024 was not measurably different than in 2009.
• The grade 12 mathematics score in 2024 was lower than in 2005.
• The grade 12 reading score in 2024 was lower than in 1992.

The latest NAEP results also provide new information about students' educational experiences. Of note, the 2024 results are the first national indicator of post-pandemic absenteeism rates among 12th graders.

Nearly a third (31%) of 12th graders reported missing three or more days from school in the previous month in 2024, up from 26% in 2019.

The findings reflect similar patterns seen in previously released NAEP results for fourth and eighth graders.

Read the full article at Deseret.com.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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Jason Swensen

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Jason Swensen is a Deseret News staff writer on the Politics and the West team. He has won multiple awards from the Utah Society of Professional Journalists. Swensen was raised in the Beehive State and graduated from the University of Utah. He is a husband and father — and has a stack of novels and sports biographies cluttering his nightstand.