"Last winter, the federal government released the results of its semi-annual reading and math tests of fourth- and eighth-graders, assessments that are considered the most authoritative measure of the state of learning in American elementary and middle schools. In nearly every category, the scores had plunged to levels unseen for decades - or ever. On reading tests, 40 percent of fourth-graders and one-third of eighth-graders performed below "basic," the lowest threshold."
"A separate assessment of 12th-graders conducted this past spring - the first since schools were shuttered by the COVID pandemic - yielded similarly crushing results. Many graduated from high school without the ability to decipher this sentence. How can I assume that? The test asked them to define the word decipher, and 24 percent got it wrong."
National assessments show dramatic declines in reading and math for fourth-, eighth-, and twelfth-graders, with many scores at levels not seen in decades. Forty percent of fourth-graders and one-third of eighth-graders scored below the lowest reading threshold. A twelfth-grade assessment found 24 percent could not define the word "decipher." Specific items missed include a fourth-grade comprehension question about The Tale of Despereaux, a basic eighth-grade arithmetic sum, and a high-school restaurant-bill problem with tip calculation that three-quarters of students failed to solve correctly. These results indicate widespread gaps in fundamental literacy and numeracy.
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