While officials at the U.S. Department of Education expressed concern regarding the results of the “Nation’s Report Card,” noting that it depicts a “heartbreaking reality,” Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois State Board of Education expressed excitement.
That’s because Illinois’ eighth graders outperformed the national average in both math and reading, according to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress results released Wednesday. Topping off the achievement, third through eighth graders showed the highest English proficiency rate to date, which, according to Pritzker, is “a testament to the great strides Illinois students are making academically,” the governor said in a Wednesday news release.
Given every two years to a sample of America’s children, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the “Nation’s Report Card,” is considered one of the best gauges of the academic progress of the U.S. school system. The most recent exam was administered in early 2024 in every state, testing fourth- and eighth-grade students on math and reading.
“Illinois students are proving what we’ve always known — when we support our schools, our kids thrive,” Pritzker said in the release, adding, “Congratulations to our students, parents, dedicated educators and principals whose hard work and dedication made this achievement possible.”
Compared to 2022, the last year the assessment was published, Illinois eighth graders’ math and reading knowledge held steady, with students performing at or above grade level. However, this year, they surpassed the national average, with only one state outperforming them. According to the report, 70% of eighth-graders performed at or above grade level while 33% of students achieved proficiency, which in the assessment is described as a more “aspirational” level of performance beyond grade level.
For the state’s fourth graders, 59% performed at or above grade level in both math and reading, while 30 expressed proficiency.
Taking a closer look, Illinois students did well in math, with 62% of eighth graders performing at or above grade level and 32% at or above proficiency, a six percent increase since 2022.
Fourth graders also excelled in math, with 74% performing at grade level and 38% performing above proficiency.
Academic performance in the rest of the nation, however, tells a different story.
The findings are yet another setback for U.S. schools and reflect the myriad challenges that have upended education, from pandemic school closures to a youth mental health crisis and high rates of chronic absenteeism. The national exam results also show growing inequality: While the highest-performing students have started to regain lost ground, lower-performing students are falling further behind.
“The news is not good,” said Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, which oversees the assessment. “We are not seeing the progress we need to regain the ground our students lost during the pandemic.”
The latest results found that many American children have continued to lose ground on reading skills in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and have made little improvement in math. It’s yet another setback for U.S. schools and reflect the myriad challenges that have upended education.
The national exam results also show growing inequality: While the highest-performing students have started to regain lost ground, lower-performing students are falling further behind. Given every two years to a sample of America’s children, the National Assessment of Educational Progress is seen as one of the best gauges of the academic progress of the U.S. school system.
Among the few bright spots was an improvement in fourth grade math, where the average score ticked up 2 points on a scale of 500. It’s still 3 points lower than the 2019 pre-pandemic average, yet some states and districts made significant strides, including in Washington, D.C., where the average score increased 10 points.
The U.S. Education Department said the results are “heartbreaking” and reflect an education system that is failing students despite billions of dollars in annual funding and more than $190 billion in federal pandemic relief.
“The Trump Administration is committed to reorienting our education system to fully empower states, to prioritize meaningful learning, and provide universal access to high-quality instruction,” the department said in a statement. “Change must happen, and it must happen now.”
The Associated Press contributed.
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