Report shows students continue to lag in math, reading skills compared to pre-pandemic levels

Thursday, January 30, 2025
Students continue to lag in math, reading skills: Report

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A report released by the US Department of Education Monday found little movement in math and reading skills among the nation's fourth and eighth-grade students.

According to The National Assessment of Educational Progress, which is administered every two years, 58% of fourth graders achieved reading skills at or above a basic level, compared to 61% in 2022, and 30% achieved at or above proficient reading skills, down from 32% in 2022.

Among eighth graders, 65% met or exceeded basic reading skills, down from 66% two years ago, while 27% met or exceeded proficient basic reading skills, up from 26% in 2022.

"We're also going to compound challenges learning science challenges, learning all of those other content areas," said Micere Keels, who serves as Policy & Practice Lead for North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation.

Supporting Students

"Every child doesn't learn the same. There's learning differences throughout the school system, and we need to address those needs individually and look at what are we doing with this core learning, how are we teaching versus how we learn," added Surena Johnson, a Wake County mother who serves as Parent Organizer for Education Justice Alliance.

Reading skills among students in both grades decreased nationally, as scores continue to largely lag behind pre-pandemic levels.

"My daughter was one of those students who was learning online, but that's not how she best learns. When she went back, of course, she probably had deficits, as did so many other students. But staff didn't go back and say, 'Okay, what didn't you get, so that we can continue to build on those skills,'" said Danikqua Stancil, a mother of a Wake County high school student.

School Funding

Both Johnson and Stancil pointed to the need for further financial support to help districts address shortcomings, with Johnson referencing the ongoing legal battle over the Leandro education plan.

"With those resources, we can get more teachers, we can get more programs, we can have funding for buses, for afterschool sports. It's a lot of resources that aren't available right now within the school system, and that's the reason because we're not fully funded," said Johnson.

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"You need funding in those public schools to be able to provide those supports. And it's also something where if we don't pay for it now when kids are young and in order to prevent reading challenges, we're going to pay for it later in our workforce. It's an investment that pays off if we do it early," Keels explained.

Hiring, Retaining Teachers

According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the vacancy rate - meaning positions not filled by a fully licensed, permanent employee - was 6.4% in the 2022-23 school year, up from 5.9% the year before.

"Our teachers need to stay so that they learn the student and they're able to help the next teacher that that student goes to (and) know what they need. We also need extra resources in order to have those tutoring programs that are available to everybody," Stancil said.

She further believes the learning environment during the pandemic has had an impact on social development among youth and adolescents that's still being felt.

"Children won't ask for help. Children won't actually tell them they need) help. If I can't have a conversation to let you know what I need, then how can I get it," said Stancil.

Johnson downplayed the impact of social media on the results, though believes socioeconomic factors, including the ability of some families to afford tutors and after-school instruction, are felt.

"Those resources not being allotted to families within the school system who need it, and we're definitely going to see some challenges when it comes to going to college," said Johnson.

Past and Present

Compared to 2022, the results are more promising in math, with fourth and eighth-grade students seeing gains in meeting or exceeding basic skill levels, and notable jumps in meeting or exceeding proficient levels; fourth graders improved to 41% from 35%, while eighth graders reached 31%, up from 25%. The Department of Public Instruction highlights that the eighth-grade math scorers "were statistically above the nation."

School attendance has remained a challenge. In 2019, 16% of public school students missed 10% or more days of school. In 2021, that figure jumped to 26%, before increasing again to 31% in 2022. While it dipped to 27% in 2023, those rates remain drastically higher than pre-pandemic levels.

"One of those huge things that's been repeated since the pandemic is a drop in attendance that has not recovered. And so, one, if kids aren't there, they can't learn. And if teachers are really having to support a lot of out-of-school challenges, then that's another aspect that's going to make it difficult for them," said Keels.

Superintendent Mo Green, who was elected in November, is set to address the report during next week's State Board of Education meeting. A spokesperson for the department highlighted recent reports which did show improvement in academic performance, including a record-high number of high school students who completed Advanced Placement exams last year, and improvements in kindergarten through third-grade literacy rates dating back to the 2022-2023 school year.

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