On September 9, the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report was released. This report is often referred to The Nations Report Card. It contains information for 8th grade science and 12th grade reading and math.
In response to this, the U.S. Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, released the following statement:
“Today’s NAEP results confirm a devastating trend: American students are testing at historic lows across all of K-12. At a critical juncture when students are about to graduate and enter the workforce, military, or higher education, nearly half of America’s high school seniors are testing at below basic levels in math and reading. Despite spending billions annually on numerous K-12 programs, the achievement gap is widening, and more high school seniors are performing below the basic benchmark in math and reading than ever before.
The lesson is clear. Success isn’t about how much money we spend, but who controls the money and where that money is invested. That’s why President Trump and I are committed to returning control of education to the states so they can innovate and meet each school and students’ unique needs.
If America is going to remain globally competitive, students must be able to read proficiently, think critically, and graduate equipped to solve complex problems. We owe it to them to do better.”
There were three areas covered by the NAEP Report Card:
| Assessment | Percentage that performed at or above NAEP Proficient |
| Science Assessment at Grade 8 | 31% |
| Mathematics Assessment at Grade 12 | 22% |
| Reading Assessment at Grade 12 | 35% |
The full report may be viewed here.
Recently, there has been a lot of talk about dismantling the U. S. Department of Education, but those talks have subsided and now it appears that the Department will survive, but will be moving in a different direction.
Based on the comments by Secretary McMahon, it seems that the Department of Education will be emphasizing greater autonomy for the states and deemphasizing federal control over funding as a road to success.
Some states may benefit from this, but others, including Arizona, may not, because we have been following a path similar to that of the U. S. Department of Education.
According to the latest report by the AZ Joint Legislative Budget Committee, K-12 funding has increased about 40% during the five years covered by the U. S. report card.
During that same five-year period, the annual AZ Report Card indicates that we have consistently failed to meet our goals regarding proficiency in math, science, and English.
There has been a lot of writing about what has created this situation and how to correct it. One example of that activity may be found HERE. It suggests that a major issue is that a large portion of the increased funding has been spent in areas other than the classroom. If that is the case, then the solution may be found in legislative action. The same solution may apply to other states with the same problem.
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