Astral Codex Ten Podcast
What Happened To NAEP Scores?
Mar 21, 2025
The discussion dives into the alarming drop in student proficiency revealed by recent NAEP scores, questioning whether this decline is solely due to COVID-19 lockdowns. The host reflects on their previous optimism about the long-term impacts of missing school years. They explore intriguing trends from 1998 to 2024 and consider whether educational challenges predate the pandemic. Graph analyses reveal that all student groups were affected, indicating potential systemic issues that transcend individual circumstances, prompting deep reflection on the future of education.
09:31
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Quick takeaways
- The recent NAEP scores reveal a concerning decline in student proficiency, indicating unresolved systemic issues predating the COVID pandemic rather than just lockdown effects.
- Parents' perceptions of their children's academic performance often clash with alarming statistics, highlighting a gap that may lead to complacency amid increasing absenteeism.
Deep dives
Decline in NAEP Scores
The NAEP scores released for 2024 indicate a concerning decline in reading and math proficiency among students, showing a reversal of improvements made in the early 2000s. National fourth-grade reading scores peaked around 2015 but have since decreased, returning to levels reminiscent of 1998. California's scores followed a similar trajectory, signaling a troubling trend not exclusively linked to the COVID pandemic, as declines began appearing before 2017. This situation raises questions about the long-term impacts of educational disruptions and whether these trends signify broader systemic issues rather than being solely a product of lockdowns.
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