FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ericka Hatfield
January 29, 2025 Ericka@dfer.org
Statement from Democrats for Education Reform CEO on Latest NAEP Scores
January 29, 2025 (New York, NY) — Today, Democrats for Education Reform CEO Jorge Elorza released the following statement in response to the release of the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores:
“The release of the latest NAEP data confirms a sobering reality: Academic outcomes for our nation’s students are embarrassingly dismal, and they’re only getting worse. Reading scores fell again, and while math scores have shown a slight improvement, they remain far below 2019 levels. All of the blame cannot be placed on the pandemic; these disappointing results continue a downward trend that started before 2020. Now, our students are scoring worse than their counterparts did 30 years ago. The gains made since the Nineties, which the education reform movement fought so hard for, are in danger of being wiped out as scores drop and opportunity gaps widen.
Most concerning, the divide between our highest-achieving and lowest-achieving students has grown across all grades and all subjects to the widest level in the history of the assessment. These results make it painfully clear that we are failing to provide the targeted interventions and investments necessary to close these gaps and ensure all students—especially those historically underserved—have access to a high-quality education.
We cannot afford to accept this as the status quo and we remain committed to ensuring that all students in America, including low-income, Black and brown students, have access to high-quality learning opportunities. Now more than ever, we must double down on evidence-based strategies that accelerate learning. We need bold, sustained action from policymakers, school leaders, and communities to ensure every student receives the education they deserve regardless of background or zip code. Solutions such as high-impact tutoring, science of reading initiatives, and high-performing charter schools have been vital to improving outcomes and they should be replicated across the country with fidelity to best practices.
As we look forward to the solutions urgently needed to remedy these poor outcomes, it’s also vital to double down on our commitment to assessments and accountability. The longitudinal data that NAEP provides is absolutely essential in identifying and solving the problems that students face, and we strongly urge President Trump to invest in the Department of Education’s ability to continue performing this role. The Department also must remain committed to the enforcement of state assessments and accountability to ensure that all districts, schools, and families have data on their individual performance and that schools are provided support and held accountable when they fall short.
Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) remains steadfast in our commitment to fighting for policies and resources that prioritize students. We urge leaders at every level to act with urgency because the future of our nation depends on it.”
National NAEP scores by student percentile
Credit: Chalkbeat