NAEP scores show increase in math scores, little change elsewhere

2024 data from what’s referred to as the “Nation’s Report Card” was released Wednesday, and while there’s still critical underperformance, Delaware’s making slight improvement in test scores and proficiency rates.

Delaware is nine points below the national average for scores in eighth-grade math and seven points below in eighth-grade reading.

Fourth-grade math scores were four points less than the national average, while that grade’s reading scores were five points lower. 

The National Assessment on Educational Progress (NAEP) report shows a national drop in reading, and a slight improvement in fourth-grade math nationally. 

About NAEP Test

The NAEP is a standardized test given to Americans in fourth, eighth, and 12th grade to measure academic achievement in subjects like math, reading, science, and writing.

It began in 1969, and through the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, it’s now administered every other year. 

How Delaware performed

Delaware saw a significant increase in fourth-grade math scores – and that’s where the good news ends. 

More Delaware fourth graders scored below basic proficiency than two years ago in reading, and eighth-grade reading scores went down.

According to the report, there was no significant change in any other grade/subject area.

“Delaware’s latest NAEP results reinforce what we’ve known for some time—while we are making some progress, we still have a long way to go in addressing learning loss and improving student outcomes,” said Britney Mumford, executive director of DelawareKidsCAN. “Our 4th-grade reading and math scores show signs of recovery, demonstrating the impact of early literacy initiatives and targeted interventions.”

However, Mumford said the continued struggles in 8th grade, particularly in math and reading, highlight that Delaware has not done enough to support older students who faced the most significant disruptions during the pandemic.

“The education administrators/bureaucrats are adding to Delaware’s education woes by not focusing on ensuring focused quality time on classroom instruction,” said Nancy Mercante, president and founder of Citizens for Delaware Schools.

That precious time in the classroom, she said, is impacted by a small number of disruptive students who are kept in the classroom, too many government mandates, continued use of the failed Common Core program, and a slow pace in rolling out the science of reading. 

Common Core is a set of academic expectations for English language arts (ELA) and math in grades K–12, and there’s plenty of debate on whether they are effective.

The science of reading is a cognitive brain research that shows how students learn to read and has six essential components: phonemic awareness, phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary, text comprehension and oral language.

It was legislated in 2022 that by 2027, all ELA curricula in Delaware align with the science of reading.

“Throwing more money at it is not the answer,” Mercante said. “Reallocating it and reducing the bureaucracy would be a start.”

Mercante added that this isn’t just an education problem but rather a preview of Delaware’s future workforce and society. 

Other education leaders also commented on the role of Delaware’s lawmakers in improving the state of education.

Jose Matthews, president of the Red Clay Consolidated School District Board of Education, said he hopes these scores are a wake up call to the work that needs to be done statewide. 

“Although I remain hopeful for the new incoming Governor, Lt. Governor and administration, the legislature isn’t new, and these measures are more of a reflection of Delaware’s legislative policy and those who oversee it,” he said. “It speaks to the need for urgent and swift action that gets extinguished by politics and complacency.”

Tanya Hettler, director of the Center for Education Policy at the Caesar Rodney Institute, said the only noteworthy difference in this year’s scores was the encouraging seven point increase in fourth-grade math scores.

“Delaware’s overall ranking places us in a tie for 44th place out of all 50 states with only three states performing significantly worse than us,” she said. “The significantly higher proficiency for fourth-grade math (71%) corresponds with the seven point increase in test scores for fourth-grade math. It is unclear as to why this one subject and grade performed better than the others.”

The impact of science of reading legislation and the implementation which is still in process in many schools and districts means that it is too early to assess the impact of the science of reading on Delaware’s reading scores, she said.

“Hopefully the next NAEP will show an increase in Delaware’s reading scores,” Hettler said.

Mumford said she applauds the efforts of the legislators and the Department of Education for their leadership in advancing early literacy efforts but now is the time to expand those strategies.

“Delaware must take urgent action to implement universal math and literacy screening at all grade levels, implement high-dosage tutoring, and ensure that education funding directly addresses student needs,” she said.

With a new administration committed to real solutions, DelawareCAN’s Mumford said the First State has an opportunity to make meaningful changes. 

“The stakes are too high to delay,” she said. “Delaware’s students deserve immediate and sustained action to ensure they are prepared for the future.”

Legislator responds

Sen. Laura Sturgeon, D-Hockessin and chair of the Senate Education Committee, said unfortunately, it’s far too easy for people to misunderstand what the National Assessment of Educational Progress is and what the scores tell us about Delaware’s public schools.

“First, NAEP proficiency is not synonymous with grade level performance; that’s not my opinion; that’s directly from the myths and facts published by NAEP itself,” she said. “In fact, NAEP has come under fire from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Education for the confusion created by its achievement levels and its misleading use of the word ‘proficient’.”

She also believes it’s dangerous to use a single data point to gauge overall success. 

“Just like your odometer tells you how fast you’re going but not much useful information about the overall health of your car, the NAEP provides us general information about how our students performed on one set of standardized tests without revealing much data about the health of our public school system,” she said.

Assuming the changes in NAEP scores at select intervals can tell something useful, Sturgeon said the year-over-year trends suggest that learning loss during the pandemic continues to impact learning. 

“Despite that, Delaware’s fourth-grade math scores are tied for the largest year-over-year improvement, and average math proficiency is now roughly on pace with the national average,” she said. 

At the same time, she said, Delaware appears to be experiencing the same year-over-year declines in reading scores as other states.

“But these incremental standardized test scores and gradual trends should not distract us from the real mission at hand,” she said. “No matter what this year’s NAEP scores show, I think we can all agree that Delaware must do more to improve public education for all students.

Following an independent and thorough assessment of the First State’s public education system, the American Institutes of Research determined that an overhaul of the education funding formula coupled with a sizable increase in annual contribution to public education is needed to meet recommended adequacy standards, Sturgeon cited.

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“As the chair of the Public Education Funding Commission and a former public school teacher, I am focused on making sure the Meyer Administration and my colleagues in the Delaware General Assembly have a clear road map of tangible action steps that will allow us to finally address the core inequities at the heart of Delaware’s public education system,” she said.