Most U.S. high school seniors earn a high school diploma despite not being proficient in reading or math, and scores in some subject areas have declined since 1992, the Department of Education announced on Sept. 9.
All told, scores across all three subject areas remain below pre-pandemic levels.
The prior 2024 release noted that 69 percent of 4th graders and 70 percent of 8th graders aren’t proficient in reading, and 61 percent of 4th graders and 72 percent of 8th graders aren’t proficient in math.
“Despite spending billions annually on numerous K–12 programs, the achievement gap is widening, and more high school seniors are performing below the basic benchmark in math and reading than ever before.”
Prior Department of Education reports indicate that math scores across elementary, middle, and high school students in most states have decreased for more than a decade, while drastic declines in reading performance date back to 2017.
The assessment report categorizes performance into three levels: below basic, basic, and proficient, which aligns with the expectation of demonstrating grade-level subject matter.
While a student who performs at basic or below basic levels in reading isn’t considered illiterate, those categorizations indicate that a student might not comprehend the main ideas in paragraphs, even if they are familiar with the definitions of the words in them.
For 8th-grade science, the latest report notes, the national proficiency level, at 31 percent, is a point higher than in 2009 but four points lower than in 2019.
Meanwhile, the vast majority of students have tested at basic or below-basic levels in the past 15 years.
This means that most 8th-graders know that reproduction is an essential part of population survival, but those students cannot explain the functions of the circulatory, respiratory, and digestive systems, according to the report.
For grade 12 math, 22 percent of students were at or above proficiency levels, the lowest since 2005, while 45 percent were below basic, the highest percentage in the same time period.
This means that most high school seniors can solve simple algebra and probability problems, but they can’t “distinguish between, find, and compare experimental and theoretical probabilities,” the report said.
Likewise, the 12th-grade reading summary indicated that only 35 percent of students were at or above proficiency levels, down from 40 percent in 1992 and 37 percent in 2019.
This means that most students can identify relevant details in a text to support “literal comprehension,” but they can’t connect key details across multiple texts to explain the author’s word choice, tone, purpose, and related ideas, the report said.
The report also noted that 31 percent of high school seniors missed three or more days of school per month in 2024, compared to 25 percent in 2019.
McMahon said the latest results underscore the importance of moving the Department of Education’s programs and functions to the states.
“The lesson is clear. Success isn’t about how much money we spend, but who controls the money and where that money is invested,” she said.
“If America is going to remain globally competitive, students must be able to read proficiently, think critically, and graduate equipped to solve complex problems. We owe it to them to do better.”
The American Federation for Children, a universal school choice advocacy organization, said the latest assessment report underscores the need for K–12 education reform.
“Teachers’ unions fought tooth and nail for $190 billion in federal funds to address post-COVID challenges, including learning loss. In return, we continue to see abysmal test scores, rampant absenteeism, and a generation of citizens utterly unprepared for the future,” Tommy Schultz, the organization’s chief executive officer, said in a statement emailed to The Epoch Times.
“The system has failed our children. School choice offers a solution, and we need to embrace it fully.”
