A Brain-Based Perspective on Where Virginia Students are Falling Behind Based on the Nation’s Report Card
We all hear stories about how kids are falling behind and struggling in school, and how schools are overwhelmed with trying to support them. But how are things really going? The Nation’s Report Card uses the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to track student performance nationally and by state, looking for trends and tracking progress (or declines) in key subject areas like reading and math.
So what does the data say about school performance and proficiency rates in Virginia specifically? Here’s a look at the scores that are available now…
A Look at the NAEP Data: Scores for 4th Grade
Summary
- Grade 4 Math: only 38% of students at or above proficient level in 2022 (down from 48% in 2019)
- Grade 4 Reading: only 32% at or above proficient level in 2022 (lowest since 1990s, and down from 38% in 2019). In addition, only 60% at or above basic level (down from 69% in 2019).
Here’s a graph that shows the progression of skills in 4th grade reading:
Discussion
As you can see, the overall state and national trends have suffered in the last several years. Whether due to COVID learning loss, increased pressures on schools to get through content at the expense of mastery, or other social or behavioral changes in school settings, many students are failing to achieve reading milestones.
Read more – Robbed of Reading: How Our Kids Have Been Left Behind >>
A Look at the NAEP Data: Scores for 8th Grade
You may say, “Ok, but that’s just 4th grade. Maybe these students will get help and catch up by the time they get to higher grades.” Let’s take a look at the same type of data for 8th graders in Virginia.
Summary
- Grade 8 Math: only 31% of students at or above proficient level in 2022 (down from 38% in 2019)
- Grade 8 Reading: only 31% of students at or above proficient level in 2022 (all-time low since 1998, though not statistically significant difference from 2019)
Here’s a look at state and national reading scores over time:
Discussion
As you can tell by these numbers, math and reading proficiency have not actually improved with time and school intervention. If anything (especially in the case of math), even more students fall behind and fail to meet certain standards of proficiency.
Read More: 5 Things to Look for in a Learning Intervention >>
What Does This Data Tell Us About Helping Students in Virginia?
Ultimately when you look at these low rates of reading and math proficiency, it can be overwhelming to consider the scale of change that would need to take place to help these students close the gap. Ultimately what we see in these numbers is this: schools, on their own, are not equipped to fully support the needs of every learner.
And this is hard to hear, we know. After all, as parents, we entrust our kids’ education to school systems and teachers who are doing their best. But what happens when it’s your child who is one of those who’s struggling?
Bridging the Gap to Make Learning, Reading, and Math Easier
At LearningRx, we partner with parents and students to support reading, math, and overall learning from the root: how the brain is able to learn and process the world.
Almost all struggles with learning stem from cognitive skill weaknesses that won’t just “get better” with time (as this data indicates). Kids who struggle with reading, or with math, or with attention won’t usually just outgrow these difficulties. Instead, targeted intervention to build skills is essential to see measurable changes in a child’s ability to learn.
Brain training has been an effective tool for thousands of kids and families to target the root of these learning struggles and build skills and confidence—including an average gain of 4.1 years in reading skills in just 24 weeks!* This kind of improvement could change the trajectory of your child’s educational career.
*Results based on surveys and studies of past clients. Individual outcomes may vary.
