Dear colleagues,
The 2024 results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) were released today. The Nation’s Report Card includes the first updates since the pandemic for 12th grade reading and math, and 8th grade science.
The findings point to continued declines:
- Reading (Grade 12): 35% of students scored at or above proficiency. Proficient students can connect ideas across texts and identify an author’s purpose.
- Math (Grade 12): 22% reached proficiency. These students can interpret both appropriate and misleading data visuals.
- Science (Grade 8): 31% scored at the proficient level, showing understanding of body systems like the circulatory system.
In some subjects, achievement levels have fallen back to where they stood three decades ago. No state made gains in 4th or 8th grade reading, and 12th grade reading declined for students by 3 points nationally, compared to 2019.
NAEP results are widely seen as a barometer of student readiness for college, careers, and civic life. They also raise questions about how well the U.S. education system is preparing students for a rapidly changing workforce and the demands of emerging technologies.
These results sound an alarm. We need to roll up our sleeves, work across the aisle, and focus on what really matters: giving students the preparation they deserve for a changing workforce and a changing world.
Last month, The Hunt Institute convened leaders from College Board and ACTE for a conversation on how states can expand career pathways and hands-on learning opportunities.
Watch the recording: Ready for the Real World: How States Can Enable Career Education.
The Hunt Institute will continue to bring together policymakers and education leaders to consider what these results mean for students, and what strategies can ensure stronger outcomes in the years ahead.
With commitment,
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Javaid Siddiqi, Ph.D.
President & CEO
The Hunt Institute
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