Reading Scores Are Stagnating - and They Are Too Low

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which has been testing reading scores since 1993, reports that reading scores have not improved over the years.  They state that scores are “stagnated” or unchanged from 1992 to the present (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES] 2016).  In 2016, the Nation’s Report Card showed that 64% of children across the nation could not read at the 4th grade level (NCES 2016).  The Nation’s Report Card also shows no significant change or improvement across grade levels:  only 36% of fourth grade students, only 34% of eighth graders, and only 37% of 12th graders scored proficient or above in reading (NCES 2016). To be labeled proficient, the student must be able to read at or above grade level.  Testing also shows that 40% of graduating seniors (those receiving a diploma) were not ready to go on to college, primarily because of low reading scores (NCES 2016).  The projections get worse when you consider that the gap between the highest scoring students and the lowest scoring students is growing, especially between racial groups:  46% of white students scored proficient or able to read at or above grade level, 49% of Asian students scored proficient, only 17% of black students, and only 25% of Hispanic students scored proficient in reading (NCES 2016, p. 16).  Reading failure is not a new problem, but a problem that seems to be growing in intensity.  Research shows that failure to read increases the likelihood that young people will drop out of school, find little to no employment, or turn to crime. Reading failure is actually listed as the primary cause of academic failure that leads to retention and eventually dropping out of school before graduation.
 
For more information, see National Center for Education Statistics.  (2016).  The nation’s report card:  Reading 2016 (NCES 2016-457).  Washington DC:  Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education.