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Feb. 16, 2025 |  By: Mark Moran - Public News Service

Nebraska reading and math scores fall, mirror national trend

a classroom

By Mark Moran - Public News Service

Despite kids being back in the classroom after the COVID pandemic, the latest numbers from the National Assessment of Education Progress aren't showing improvement in learning.

In Nebraska, fourth grade reading scores dropped, mirroring the national trend.

The assessment measures the math and reading proficiency of U.S. 4th and 8th grade students at both the national and state levels.

It found 40% of fourth graders are scoring "below basic" levels, in Nebraska and nationwide.

Commissioner at the National Center for Education Statistics with the U.S. Department of Education, Peggy Carr called that an especially sobering finding.

"That is not even an achievement level," said Carr. "We want them to reach basic, and then proficient, and then advanced. These are students that did not achieve that status."

Education officials say investing in kindergarten for all children could help close the performance gap.

Between 2019 and 2024, only two other states saw fourth grade reading scores drop further than Nebraska's.

National Assessment Governing Board Vice Chair Martin West said the NAEP report card reflects a changing educational environment for students - and meeting kids where they are is key.

"We should be looking at what social media and the rise of the screen-based childhood is doing for reading habits and reading skills," said West. "We know from NAEP data there's been a sharp decline in the share of students who report reading frequently outside of school, for fun."

The report card shows while Nebraska math scores were also down, they also mirror the national decline. The national report card is issued every two years.