The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) this week released the Nation’s Report Card, a study that tracks the reading and math abilities of students every two years. This year’s study published new data on fourth and eighth graders, revealing modest but promising improvements in math but a continuing decline in reading skills.
Math Abilities Level Out
Since hitting record highs in 2013 math scores have overall trended downward, with a sharp decline in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the 2024 data, however, math scores stayed the same for fourth graders and even improved slightly for students in eighth grade. These figures provide some hope that the worst of the pandemic’s educational challenges are improving.
“It’s heartening to see that math scores are starting to rebound after falling so sharply on the last report card,” says Anne Sinclair, Chief Learning Officer at Ampact. “However, today’s results are a far cry from previous highs. Math Corps has been proven to boost math skills and confidence, and we are committed to helping as many students as possible in the coming years.”
Literacy Continues to Decline
Reading abilities, on the other hand, continued to trend downward. The scores for both fourth and eighth graders hit their lowest mark in over 20 years. While math only slightly declined before dropping significantly after the pandemic, reading scores for both age groups have fallen steadily for four report cards in a row.
The new reading scores indicate that only 31% of fourth graders read at proficient levels, according to NAEP standards. This figure is down from 35% in 2019, the most recent data set before the pandemic. The decline was not isolated to specific regions: rural, suburban, and urban schools alike experienced the same decrease.
“The data confirms that there is still a lot of work to do to improve reading abilities,” says Sinclair. “However, research shows that the type of high-impact tutoring that our programs deliver makes a huge difference for the students who need it most.”
How Our Programs Boost Student Outcomes
A recent study by Accelerate demonstrated that both Reading and Math Corps “significantly improve student learning.” In fact, the study found that the programs are twice as efficient as other high-impact tutoring programs. In two decades of operation, our programs have helped half a million students across the country develop stronger reading and math skills.
“The report is a reminder of how far the country has to go to truly support our students, but we’re proud to be part of the solution,” says Sinclair.
You can be part of that solution by tutoring students in your community. Visit join.readingandmath.org to see open positions and read the full report card on NAEP’s website, nationsreportcard.gov.