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

[chowder66]

6. The decline has been happening since 2015. The article states that they think the reasons are....

Absenteeism and Reading.

"Experts point to a range of potential factors beyond absenteeism that could be contributing to the decline, including increased screen time and smartphone use, declining student engagement, and the rollback of test-based accountability since the expiration of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2015.

Carol Jago, a longtime English teacher and literacy expert at UCLA, told the Associated Press last week that students today read fewer books and spend less time with longer texts.

“To be a good reader, you have to have the stamina to stay on the page, even when the going gets tough,” Jago said. “You have to build those muscles, and we’re not building those muscles in kids.”

Balfanz added that the constant exposure to short-form and visual media in students’ daily lives may be making academic focus more difficult."

more at the link

This is also not just happening in the U.S. Screen time seems to be a wide issue.