Hi & FYI, Not sure my post will get though the censors at lincoln talk - it's awful as so many people and posts go into a moderated queue, never to see the light of day. Thought you Alice, as an active participant there and in Lincoln 'news' would at least enjoy this post.
We could entitle this article: "*Indoctrinate or educate?*" with respect to our kids, the public school system and what/ whether they 'learn' or are prepared for life or college. Esther ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Esta Rogen <[email protected]> Date: Tue, Sep 9, 2025 at 11:18 AM Subject: Math & Reading scores hit all time low (US Dept. of Education) To: LincolnTalk <[email protected]> This is shocking to me. Another reason to take education from the federal and union hands and perhaps allow school choice to move forward. >From today's WSJ: ---------- Twelfth-Grade Math and Reading Scores in U.S. Hit New Low American high-school seniors’ scores on major math and reading tests fell to their lowest levels on record, according to results released Tuesday by the* U.S. Education Department.* Twelfth-graders’ average math score was the worst since the current test began in 2005, and reading was below any point since that assessment started in 1992. The share of 12th-graders who were proficient slid by 2 percentage points between 2019 and 2024—to 35% in reading and 22% in math. There also were drops in the proportion of students who were able to reach at least a basic level of performance, a tier below proficiency. The results are from tests that are part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, administered to tens of thousands of students in early 2024. The declines deepen slides that began before the pandemic, and are the latest in a procession of gloomy data <https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/reading-test-scores-american-students-5fb78d4e?mod=article_inline> showing that U.S. students are learning less than several years ago. The learning loss has been broad and substantial, showing up on international exams and tests <https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/us-student-test-scores-covid-impact-bf3ec65a?mod=article_inline> of children just entering school <https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/when-covid-hit-they-were-in-diapers-so-why-are-kindergarteners-struggling-7d75e37e?mod=article_inline>. Few if any student groups or regions of the country have been entirely spared. “Students are taking their next steps in life with fewer skills and less knowledge in core academics than their predecessors a decade ago,” said Lesley Muldoon, executive director of the board that oversees the tests. “This is happening at a time when rapid advancements in technology and society demand more of future workers and citizens, not less.” The 12th-grade scores come with an important asterisk. It is possible that progress is being obscured by rising high-school graduation rates, which could mean that more lower-performing students are taking the exams. It also is unclear whether there has been any recovery in the time since these tests were administered, more than a year and a half ago. In reading, two-thirds of seniors could determine the purpose of a persuasive essay, but only one in five was able to draw a conclusion from such an essay, supported by the text. In math, 60% of students deduced the population of an area using information on size and density, while just under half correctly turned a real-world scenario into an algebraic expression. Students who were already struggling tended to fall further behind, creating an even wider gap between the top and bottom. Girls’ scores, on average, dropped faster than boys’ <https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/test-scores-girls-boys-learning-loss-db020858?mod=article_inline>. Both trends have shown up on other assessments. Scores also fell on newly released 8th-grade science tests. Results were similar to when the exam was first given in 2009. On other exams <https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/reading-test-scores-american-students-5fb78d4e?mod=article_inline> in earlier grades, scores have partially bounced back in math. Reading scores have generally remained low or fallen further. Researchers note that many factors in and out of school affect student learning, and that it is difficult to determine the causes behind the overall numbers. U.S. studies have found that schools that were closed for in-person instruction for longer during the pandemic tended to experience larger learning declines. Since then, schools have been beset with challenges, including high absence rates, student misbehavior <https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/schools-student-misbehavior-remote-learning-covid-11639061247?mod=article_inline>, teacher turnover and distraction from screens <https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/schools-phone-screens-technology-research-c268bda5?mod=article_inline>. Many other countries have also seen falling achievement <https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/us-students-global-education-dd7424b2?mod=article_inline> . “We should be thinking of possible explanations that transcend national boundaries,” said Martin West, academic dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and vice chair of the board that oversees the national tests. He pointed to the influence of social media <https://www.wsj.com/tech/personal-tech/jonathan-haidt-anxious-generation-book-smartphones-676bcadb?mod=article_inline> and smartphones but added there is still no “smoking gun.” Many states have recently passed laws restricting cellphones in schools <https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/schools-lock-up-cellphones-to-keep-students-focused-7fc374fa?mod=article_inline> in a bid to limit distractions. Esther
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