The nation's students are still struggling to recover from the pandemic's impact on their education, especially when it comes to reading. This is a concerning issue that demands our attention.
Imagine a student eagerly raising their hand in a classroom, eager to learn and grow. However, new testing data reveals a different reality. According to NWEA, a K-12 testing organization, third to eighth graders are still experiencing a pandemic-era slump in reading. Math, on the other hand, shows a glimmer of hope with slight improvements, but all grades are still behind 2019 performance levels.
Karyn Lewis, NWEA's Vice President of Research, emphasizes, "Math is making a modest comeback, but reading remains stagnant." She urges us not to turn a blind eye, adding, "Looking away won't solve the problem."
NWEA has developed a new tool, a performance dashboard, to provide school leaders and policymakers with insights into student performance compared to a national sample.
The reading scores for Spring 2025 paint a bleak picture. Any gains made in 2022 have been lost, with students across grades performing at or below pandemic lows. Math scores offer a brighter outlook, with slight improvements across grades since 2021. Notably, this progress is seen across diverse student groups.
However, no grade has reached pre-pandemic math performance levels. NWEA's findings align with federal data, highlighting a worrying trend.
To address this, NWEA has launched a public dashboard, providing regular updates on student achievement. Tom Kane from Harvard University's Center for Education Policy Research compares this data to health checks, emphasizing the need for frequent assessments, especially post-pandemic.
Megan Kuhfeld, NWEA's Director of Growth Modeling, stresses the importance of understanding national trends to identify local needs for support and resources.
As the Trump administration reduces funding for the Institute of Education Sciences, the need for accessible data becomes even more critical.
But here's where it gets controversial: Should we focus solely on data-driven interventions, or is there a risk of overlooking the human element in education? What are your thoughts on this? Feel free to share your opinions in the comments!
