The number of 12th grade public school students demonstrating math proficiency dropped to just 21 percent last year, the lowest since a new math testing framework was adopted in 2005 to act as a blueprint for new assessment content. Reading scores are not much better, with only 33 percent of seniors deemed proficient — the worst reading outcome since the assessment began in 1992. The last time we saw a period of growth for 12th grade math and reading proficiency was from 2005 to 2013.
Math and reading skills are generally needed to be successful in science. So, it is not surprising that in 2024 only 31 percent of 8th graders scored at or above proficient on the science assessment, reflecting a decline across all three content areas assessed: physical science, life science, and earth and space sciences.
These data underscore what education researchers have long feared: Even before COVID-19, the academic foundation of U.S. students was eroding, and the pandemic served only to deepen existing fractures.
These scores signal a systemic failure that jeopardizes our students’ future readiness for college, career and civic life. However, there are policy solutions that states can implement to stop — and reverse — the student achievement collapse.
Implementing a back-to-basics school accountability system that expects students to meet rigorous proficiency expectations is imperative. Following Mississippi’s tough-love approach focusing on rigorous outcomes, Louisiana recently implemented an accountability system called “Grow. Achieve. Thrive.” Louisiana is poised to realize impressive reading and math improvements like those made by Mississippi students over the last decade with a clear, rigorous school accountability calculation.
Louisiana uses a simplified 100-point system to measure outcomes that are meaningful to students: being proficient in reading, math and science; growing toward proficiency; and graduating in four years. This policy leads to college and career readiness because schools are awarded credit only for students meeting meaningful outcomes; if districts and schools are not preparing students, I believe the state will need proven strategies.
Increasing the amount of daily instructional time on math, for example, will yield more fruitful outcomes for students. We know that 60 minutes or more of math per school day leads to better mathematical proficiency. Disappointingly, new data shows that states don’t set a specific amount of time per day for math: Alabama is the only state requiring 60 minutes of math per day, in the elementary grades; others are barely getting 35 minutes.
States also need to embrace the science of reading — incorporating structured, research-backed teaching approaches — to ensure that classrooms move away from ineffective methods. Meanwhile, a strategic investment in coaches can train and mentor teachers on best practices. In Mississippi, reading coaches are placed in each low-performing elementary school with the goal of improving teaching strategies.
Without decisive collective action, we risk graduating generations without the necessary core academic skills. State lawmakers must prioritize accountability for ensuring that students have these skills if we want to have a strong workforce, economy and country in the coming decades.
Christy Hovanetz, senior policy fellow at ExcelinEd, specializes in school accountability and assessment standards.
Governing’s opinion columns reflect the views of their authors and not necessarily those of Governing’s editors or management.
