Bad marks on the 'nation's report card'

Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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More troubling news from the educational achievement front: National testing of America's 13-year-olds showed historically low math test scores in the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), widely known as the "nation's report card."

Released last week, this NAEP assessment revealed that math scores fell by 9 points and reading scores dropped by 4 points from 2020 to 2023. And compared with a decade ago, math scores are down 14 points, while reading scores have declined by 7 points.

At a time when well-educated workers are needed more than ever to keep the U.S. globally competitive, educators and families must work to put the brakes on this disturbing trend.

Some of the declines reported last week reflected the period in which many students were learning remotely due to COVID-19 restrictions. Math and reading scores had been sliding even before the pandemic, however, and the latest results show a drop that erases earlier gains in the years leading up to 2012.

Math scores are now at the lowest levels since 1990; reading scores are their lowest since 1975. Minnesota scores are slightly higher than the national averages but are still sliding.

The results are especially problematic because today's students are tomorrow's researchers in many areas involving technology, said Michael Rodriguez, dean of the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota. When preliminary NAEP reports were issued last fall, he told the Star Tribune that the losses could affect the state's ability to be "high-performing innovators."

Some experts say intensive tutoring and more educator-intensive help are needed to improve achievement in basic subjects. That will require more funding, which may only be possible in some districts. That's why some are calling for more volunteer efforts from adults and student tutors.

"Absolutely — those NAEP trends are concerning. We know we need to do better," said Bobbie Burnham, assistant commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). She told an editorial writer that new funding approved in the latest legislative session will give districts more support through regional centers for teacher training, as well as help in implementing best practices in instruction.

Burnham also pointed out that students will receive more state support to deal with mental health and social-emotional issues that educators say have contributed to declining test scores.

In addition to the math and reading scores, a survey administered along with the NAEP exams indicated that chronic absenteeism and mental health challenges are growing problems among American students — both negative indicators for academic achievement.

The most recent performance tests were given to 8,700 13-year-olds nationwide. NAEP exams have been administered since the 1970s and are widely regarded as providing the only results that can be compared fairly across the country. The assessments are administered every two years to fourth- and eighth-graders in all 50 states. About 3,000 Minnesota students typically participate.

These latest results clearly show that educators, families and communities must double down on proven instructional methods. Reading and math are fundamental subject areas, and a well-educated America depends on reversing the slide revealed by the latest round of testing.