NAEP Results Show Families Need More Options

By Colleen Hroncich of Cato. 

"The U.S. Department of Education has released new assessment results, but these aren’t the test scores everyone’s anxiously waiting for. Taken just before the COVID-19 school closures, these results don’t give us any insight into how education disruptions have impacted students. But it’s still worth looking at them for a status update on students right before things got topsy turvy.

Dubbed the nation’s report card, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has been utilized since the 1970s to track academic performance. The long‐​term trend (LTT) results that were just released only include students aged 9 and 13; testing for 17‐​year‐​olds was postponed by the pandemic.

NAEP results include a lot of caveats due to changes in the tests over time, but the department has attempted to keep it similar enough year‐​to‐​year to allow for comparisons. So, what do we see from this year’s results?

As the chart above shows, average NAEP LTT scores have dipped in recent years. Several data points in this year’s results were particularly troubling to NCES Commissioner Peggy Carr. She noted on a media call that it was the first time 13‐​year‐​olds saw declines on the assessment, which shocked her so much that she had her staff double‐​check the results.

Carr also flagged results showing that the lowest‐​performing students have fallen in both math and reading for both ages: “Lower‐​performing students … no longer show competency in skills that students were able to do almost a decade ago.” This doesn’t bode well since those are the very students who were likely harmed the most by school closures and remote instruction.

Test scores certainly aren’t the only metric that matters when it comes to evaluating the education system. But when families lack realistic options beyond their assigned school, test scores are one of few ways they can try to hold schools accountable. This is especially true for lower‐​income families, who are less likely to be able to afford to homeschool or pay tuition.

If funding followed students—instead of being locked into the public school system—parents could vote with their feet if a school’s performance was lacking.

But even if a school has top‐​notch test scores, parents should be able to choose other options if that’s what their children need. I have friends who live in the top 10 districts in my state, but they’ve chosen other options for their children. All parents should have that ability.

Critics say test scores are sometimes given too much weight when it comes to evaluating schools, and I agree. But that’s directly linked to a lack of education choice. If funding followed students, parents—regardless of income, race, or ZIP code—could use a wide range of metrics to choose the educational options that work best for their children."