The percentage of eighth graders who have “below basic” reading skills according to NAEP was the largest it has been in the exam’s three-decade history — 33 percent. The percentage of fourth graders at “below basic” was the largest in 20 years, at 40 percent. There was progress in math, but not enough to offset the losses of the pandemic.

New national test scores indicate a continuing slide in reading skills.

Reading skills for eighth-graders hit their lowest level since testing began in 1992. Levels for fourth-graders were also near record lows as educators struggle to keep students engaged in a post-pandemic world. The post-COVID report card for students is not one that will make anyone proud.

New national test scores show a bleak picture of American education in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fourth and eighth graders' literacy skills dipped – once again – on the U.S. Department of Education's National Assessment of Educational Progress,

Baltimore City students are performing below average in math and reading compared to other students in large cities, according to the latest national test results.

Reading scores declined between 2022 and 2024 for students in Austin and across U.S., according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

City students are performing below average in math and reading compared to other students in large cities, according to the latest national test results.