As we’ve noted before, test scores are falling at the local, state, and national level. More concerning than lower test scores is that education experts can’t pinpoint a singular cause that explains the worsening academic performance. While states and local school districts are taking steps towards addressing the problem, it will likely be years if not decades before new policies and programs will substantially impact students’ academic preparedness. There are, however, ways you and your student can develop their academic preparedness outside of school
Test Scores Are Declining Nationally
Often referred to as the nation’s report card, the 2024 results of the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) were released in early September, and they showed a continuing decline in the academic preparedness of high school students across the country. Reading and math scores hit their lowest level in more than 20 years. The average reading score was the lowest reported in the 32 years that the assessment has been conducted. Nearly a third of high schoolers scored below “basic” achievement, meaning they could not use context clues that allowed them to understand the meaning of a text. Forty-five percent of high school seniors scored below “basic.” Only a third of seniors scored at levels indicating they were academically prepared for college-level math courses—a 4% drop since 2019.
It’s unlikely this downward trend will end soon. Along with high school senior results, September’s NAEP also provided the science scores of eight graders. Those scores demonstrated the greatest disparity between scores of the highest-performing students and the lowest. The results also pointed to the return of a gender gap in STEM course. Girls and boys performed nearly identically on the 2019 NAEP science assessment, but girls saw a steeper decline in their test scores compared with boys in 2024.
It’s Unclear Why We’re Seeing Scores Fall
While it’s tempting to blame lower national averages on the lasting impact of the pandemic on education, the fact that these scores have been sliding for the past decade indicates that the upheaval of the shift to virtual and hybrid learning in 2020 isn’t the sole cause of this trend. The pandemic had an undeniable impact on academic preparedness, but experts believe that neither at-home learning policies of the COVID-19 pandemic nor an increase in absenteeism are the definitive causes of these lower test scores.
When interviewed for an AP News article, Carol Jago, former high school English teacher and the associate director of the California Reading and Literature Project at UCLA, believes that the move away from reading longer-form writing for English and language arts courses could be a key factor in the decline in reading scores. Today’s English classes have been assigning fewer books at the same time high schoolers (and adults) are reading fewer books for pleasure.
Take a Proactive Approach
We often encourage students to consider what lies within and outside of their control. National test scores continuing to fall is outside of nearly everyone’s control. The education policies at the school, local, state, and national level are also outside of the control for most people. As frustrating as this may be, you and your student have a tremendous amount of control over what happens outside of their school. For example, if your student only reads three full-length books a year for class, you can encourage them to read for pleasure outside of class by reading aloud as a family, taking them to the library to pick out a book, getting them to download a free ebook or audiobook app, or setting quiet hours at home when everyone in the family can read.
While parents are often bad at gauging their children’s academic preparedness, you can ask your student’s teacher about their academic performance—not just their classroom behavior—at any point while they’re in K-12. You can also ask your student about how their class went and what they learned. Even better, ask them to teach you the concept they learned in class to help them develop ownership over the material. What is the metaphor in The Crucible? How do you calculate the area of a sphere? You can also support your student’s executive functioning development by helping them develop better study and testing habits.
You can help your student with their academic preparedness and executive functioning skills at any point, but it’s always best to start sooner. One of the most concerning parts of the NAEP is how few high school seniors demonstrate true college readiness with just 33% of students having scores that demonstrate they’re prepared for college-level math courses. Simply put: If you want to maximize your student’s academic readiness, it’s helpful to start early.
More than teaching to a test, our academic coaching combines content-specific tutoring with executive functioning coaching, helping students develop the academic habits needed to master the content they learn in class while building the core competencies and study skills needed to thrive academically. Reach out today to schedule your student’s first academic coaching session!
