Dear Friends,
This week’s evidence comes from the recently released National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores, often called the “Nation’s Report Card.” Cuts in the US Department of Education, especially in research, may make this the last NAEP report we’ll see for a while. Therefore, it is worth taking a hard look at the data.
For 4th and 8th graders in math, scores reverted to the lowest levels since 1995, when the test was first administered. We all know the frailties of standardized tests as a single measurement of student performance, but these dismal results are consistent with what we hear from teachers around the nation. Students are not learning essential math skills in the primary grades. They cannot manipulate fractions and decimals in the intermediate grades, making pre-algebra and algebra classes hopeless in middle and high school. What’s the solution? While the market is flooded with technology solutions promising personalized learning, there is no substitute for the twin keys to improving student success – effective teaching and sufficient time to teach and learn. This train wreck should not come as a surprise. As students returned after the school closures associated with COVID, every teacher was aware of the pervasive learning loss. Every administrator heard the universal complaint, “We don’t have time to help students catch up.”
As professionals who support these schools and care deeply about the students, teachers, and leaders, we must be relentless in asking this question, “What is going to be different?” As schools establish their schedules for the fall of 2025, how much extra time will they provide for academic support during the school day and for double periods where necessary in reading and math for students to catch up? While there is a good deal of despair in the educational world about matters beyond our control in Washington, our job is to help leaders and teachers focus on what they can control – effective instruction, feedback, and the time to provide students with the learning opportunities they need.