Today, the United States Department of Education released data from the 2024 round of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as the “Nation’s Report Card.” These assessments are given to a representative sample of students from every state and provides one of the most comprehensive looks at student achievement across the nation. The exams are given biennially in grades four and eight, in math and reading.
“Today’s NAEP results are a disappointment,” said Aaron Churchill, Ohio Research Director for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. “Mirroring national trends, Ohio’s reading scores continue to be on an alarming slide. Results from math are more positive—Ohio’s proficiency rates ticked upward in both grades—yet still remain well below pre-pandemic levels in eighth grade.”
The figures below show the percentage of Ohio fourth and eighth graders achieving proficient on NAEP from 2015 to 2019 (pre-pandemic) and 2022 to 2024 (post-pandemic). Reading proficiency rates have declined in both grades since 2017. Fourth grade math proficiency has recovered to pre-pandemic levels, but eighth grade math proficiency still lags behind.
Consistent with historical patterns, Ohio continues to hold a slight edge in math and reading compared to the national average. In fourth grade math, for instance, 43 percent of Ohio students achieved NAEP proficiency versus 40 percent nationally. Note that the NAEP proficiency standard is a high academic bar—aligned more closely to a college-ready benchmark—which explains the lower NAEP proficiency rates when compared to proficiency rates on Ohio’s state exams.
“Overall, these results indicate that far too many Ohio students are struggling to master core math and reading skills,” continued Churchill. “That’s simply not good enough. To give students a boost, state leaders need to put math and reading back at the center of our education debates. Schools must ensure that students are in attendance, have their phones away, and are ready to learn. Teachers should be using effective instructional methods, including those aligned to the science of reading. Parents should be able to track their own child’s progress and be empowered to help if he or she is falling behind. An aggressive policy agenda that engages schools, parents, and students—and which focuses squarely on math and reading—is what Ohio needs to break through this academic malaise.”
