Assessment: June 2023 NAEP Results
Scores from the NAEP tests administered in fall 2022 revealed “record low” reading and math scores for 13-year-olds in the U.S. While many see the test results as evidence of the pandemic’s long term effects on education, others question the practicality of relying on standardized assessment to capture the current landscape of education.
- “Today’s #NAEP results are further evidence of the pandemic’s profoundly negative impact on learning, and the longstanding inequities and challenges in our education system. We must come together with our students and innovate a different path.” —Educator in Texas
- “Even the infographics with NAEP scores are designed to be misleading/hyperbolic—notice how the ’23 scores are the only ones listed below the actual placement on each graph, making it seem as if they are lower than the original ’73 data points.” —High School English Teacher in Oregon
- Two things can be true, I’d argue:
- The last several years of education have been immensely difficult and we have not found our footing yet.
- The conversations around test scores are too often filled with deceptive, propaganda-like voices that do more harm than good.” —High School English Teacher in Oregon
- “My fear- this type of reporting will lead to a continued hyper focus on one or two things (that will make a few companies a ton of money) instead of discussing the greater picture and larger issues at hand. We need to be directing resources where kids need them most- supports.” —Educator, N/A
- “If NAEP *proves* anything about reading … why the decline since SOR reading legislation? Where was the reading crisis?” —Teacher in South Carolina
- “It’s 2023. And a standardized test is the only form of ‘proof’ that reading and math proficiency is ‘down’. Lol I’m just so bored with so many conversations in education.” —Educator in Michigan
- “When 31% of 13-year-olds report ‘never or hardly ever’ reading a book, we shouldn’t be surprised at the tragic NAEP reading assessment results. (I fear the percentage is actually higher.)” —English Educator in Illinois
- “Don’t let them tell you that the NAEP scores are news. They’re just walking outside when it’s raining to find out that it’s wet. War on Schools + Pandemic = Lower Test Scores. This is not shocking.” —Middle School Teacher in Georgia
- “I spent the last couple of days listening to and talking with secondary school administrators from across Virginia. You know what their big challenges and concerns are? They are most definitely not NAEP scores. They are most definitely not whether schools were remote too long.” —Post-Secondary Educator in Virginia
- “I’d agree that NAEP scores’ audience is primarily state leaders and policy makers, not school based folks. I’d also agree that the challenges schools face are multifaceted—absenteeism AND reading and math. They often work together.” —School Leader, N/A
- “So should we be sounding the alarm over American students’ NAEP scores? Or does the fact that proficiency levels on the NAEP do not correspond to grade level mastery, and most international students would not achieve proficient status, mean that we are making too much fuss?” —Teacher in New York
- “I’m going to take a deep breath and walk the dog to calm down, but I will say this: If 52% of my students failed a test that I created, my first thought would be, that test is flawed. Not my students. Me. Something is very wrong here.” —History Teacher in Ohio
- “Nat’l data reveals a decline in reading + math proficiency among students. HOWEVER, note that we’re STILL employing the same pre-Covid standardized assessments. The shift to standards-based grading has resulted in diverse learning mastery demonstrated across modalities.” —Educator in Florida