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groundloop

(13,287 posts)
Sat Sep 20, 2025, 11:23 AM Saturday

'These results are sobering': US high-school seniors' reading and math scores plummet [View all]

Source: The Guardian

The average reading and math scores of American high school seniors fell to their lowest levels in two decades in 2024, according to new national data released last week.

The results, from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), found that, on average, reading scores for 12th graders were 10 points lower in 2024 than they were in 1992, when the test was first administered, and that math scores fell to their lowest levels since 2005, when the math assessment began.

[.....]

The report found that 35% of seniors “performed at or above” the NAEP’s “proficient” level in reading, and 22% were at or above that level in math.

It also stated that 45% of 12th graders scored below the NAEP’s “basic” level in math, marking a five percentage-point increase from 2019. In reading, 32% of students scored below the basic level, which was a two-point increase from 2019.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/sep/20/high-school-students-scores



This is what happens when television and social media tells our kids that it's cool to be stupid. When I grew up we celebrated scientists, engineers, researchers, etc. Now it's reality TV stars who contribute zero to society (except for helping keep the electorate dumbed down). It's absolutely no wonder that our technological expertise is quickly falling behind other countries.
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Can anyone be suprised? I've written about my frustrations (not only with our youngest, but hlthe2b Saturday #1
But the Traildogbob Saturday #2
They have the fastest thumbs, though. sop Saturday #3
It's because they don't post the Ten Commandments in every school! Wednesdays Saturday #4
They should post Kepler's Laws instead DBoon Saturday #17
A.I.is the reason. They're not doing their own work. They have AI to do it. nt pnwmom Saturday #5
The decline has been happening since 2015. The article states that they think the reasons are.... chowder66 Saturday #6
I agree. They don't read. LisaM Saturday #31
I've noticed a decline in my reading stamina since I got a smartphone. yardwork Saturday #44
Nonsense. Math skills in grade 12 are formed in primary grades. That's where the problem is. In 2024 AI Bernardo de La Paz Saturday #8
It's all connected. High school kids who rely on AI aren't reading on their own, pnwmom Saturday #9
AI is so new that it has not had much effect at all on seniors. They were sabotaged years before AI. . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Saturday #11
I would also point out that moniss Saturday #23
I wish I'd had your good math teachers. My high school algebra teacher (9th grade) sucked. 3catwoman3 Saturday #35
Republican states keep cutting funding to their public schools. Because they want "vouchers" Walleye Saturday #32
So the decline is only in red states? MichMan Saturday #36
No, of course, but that certainly contributes to it and the attitude towards education in general Walleye Saturday #38
Dumbing down the populist. republianmushroom Saturday #7
Dumbing down the populace. Bernardo de La Paz Saturday #12
Grooming future Magats, gullible. GreenWave Saturday #22
Yup republianmushroom Saturday #24
Really Timewas Saturday #10
There was a book that came out in the late 1980's... llmart Saturday #27
Reading takes too much time! pfitz59 Saturday #13
Reading is FASTER than video: so much talk, so much repetition, so little really said. . . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Saturday #29
People post videos for the thrill of being on camera, then talk WAY too much, just to please themselves. eppur_se_muova Yesterday #48
Future Republican voters. nt not fooled Saturday #14
It's not specifcally Social Media, it's not AI doing this Lithos Saturday #15
Been going on for quite awhile. Silent Type Saturday #16
Dumbed down curriculum. Mblaze Saturday #18
Mental math has always been fun to me and something I work at. Spelling and grammar are important too but content is twodogsbarking Saturday #19
Maybe, its because they now know any idiot can be president. Buddyzbuddy Saturday #20
There's no comparison in Civics scores since it's no longer being taught. Gimpyknee Saturday #21
The ignorance seen recently regarding the First Amendment is proof of that MichMan Saturday #43
As a substitute teacher for over 11 years now I have seen the decline and unfortunately the culprit is kimbutgar Saturday #25
I don't know what plummet means Tetrachloride Saturday #26
I'll help you out. llmart Saturday #30
exceeds expectations lol Tetrachloride Saturday #46
The pandemic didn't help, either. Ocelot II Saturday #28
Oligarchs have always known that if they are to control this country and rule, they must do the following: ancianita Saturday #33
I have one quibble OrwellwasRight Saturday #45
Point well taken. Since Ivies are full of entitled prep school kids, even for them it still holds true that one only ancianita Saturday #47
How timely OrwellwasRight 4 hrs ago #56
Well off suburban public schools as well exboyfil Yesterday #53
Yes. The property tax base of school districts perpetuates funding inequities and socioeconomic hierarchies of ancianita Yesterday #55
Future MAGA Voters Coldwater Saturday #34
My (step)grandkids don't know their math facts sorcrow Saturday #37
Good that you try to help. Math is much more methods & a frame of mind than facts and much more than arithmetic. . nt Bernardo de La Paz Saturday #40
Check the timeline- teaching to the test under NCLB JCMach1 Saturday #39
You can place a large amount of blame on No Child Left Behind legislation. flashman13 Saturday #41
Not too surprising after shutting down schools for a year and substituting remote learning MichMan Saturday #42
Rather, this is what happens when republicans politicize and evangelize schools LearnedHand Yesterday #49
It's a lazy non-think thing, common in countries where parents and kids think they are going to get by on luck. Aussie105 Yesterday #50
and speaking of education or lack of Coldwater Yesterday #51
My house had lots of books nitpicked Yesterday #52
The last thing the ruling class wants is an educated population. MrsCheaplaugh Yesterday #54
Also, have people listened to this podcast on teaching reading? OrwellwasRight 4 hrs ago #57
Also a proxy for the increasing number of children being raised in poverty IbogaProject 1 hr ago #58
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