Math Test Scores Decline

Math proficiency falls, reading flat or down in national results at time of focus on U.S. competitiveness.

At a time of enormous focus on boosting the competitiveness of U.S. students in the global economy, average test scores mostly ticked down in the so-called Nation’s Report Card.

Results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests, released Wednesday, found average math scores dipped for fourth-graders and eighth-graders since 2013. Reading scores were roughly flat for fourth-graders and down for eighth-graders.

In math, 40% of fourth-graders and 33% of eighth-graders were proficient or better in 2015, meaning they showed solid academic performance. Both groups fell two percentage points from 2013.

In recent years, most states rolled out the Common Core learning standards, a set of tougher expectations for skills children should master in each grade. Many states launched new annual tests and teacher evaluations were partly tied to exam scores. But Common Core has become contentious and some states are reviewing their use of it.

Outgoing U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a call with reporters that the news of the latest scores “isn’t great but also doesn’t come as a big surprise.”

He said Massachusetts faced an initial drop in results after raising its standards two decades ago, but persevered and became a top performer.

Some critics likely would call on states to reverse course, Mr. Duncan said, but he hoped that education leaders, teachers and families would keep pursuing higher academic goals. “Change on this scale is a long-term effort,’’ he said.

Some researchers cautioned against seeing the declines as reflecting specific initiatives because so many factors can affect test results, including the economy, local school budgets and demographic shifts. For example, the percentage of test-takers who were poor and Hispanic rose.

The results “are useful for keeping a pulse on student achievement,” said Matthew Chingos, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute. “The casual punditry of eyeballing the scores and saying this is because of Common Core, testing or teacher evaluations—that doesn’t make any sense.”

Michael Petrilli, a vocal supporter of Common Core and president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative think tank, called the results overall “very disappointing.” Perhaps due to the slow recovery from the recession and changing demographics, he said, it may be “that schools have to work harder just to stand still.”

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