National and New York CIty Education

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has just released its 2004 data for grades 4, 8 and 12.? NAEP found that nearly a quarter of White, non-Hispanic, middle school students and nearly half of the nation’s Black and Hispanic middle school students are unable to fully understand their classroom assignments.

?

Taking grade 8 as a good general measure of the effectiveness of instruction, NAEP found that while nationally on the 2022 assessments in reading, 78% of White, non-Hispanic, middle school students read at grade level (“Basic”) or above, as did 53% of Black students, 61% of Hispanic and 85% of Asian students.? On the 2024 assessment, 77% of White, non-Hispanic, grade 8 students read at grade level or above, as did just over half, 52% of Black students and 55% of Hispanic students, while ?83% of Asian students could read at grade level.? In other words, nationally, there were few gains and some declines in the reading skills of White, Black and Asian students and a considerable, 6% decline for Hispanic students.

?

NAEP also assesses student skills in every state and many large districts. As there has been much recent experimentation with reading instruction in New York City in the past few years, and as Black and Hispanic students are in the great majority in the New York City schools, the continuing ?failure of the district to teach nearly half of those students to read grade-level ?materials in middle school is troubling.

?

In 2022, 85% of White, non-Hispanic, middle school students in the New York City schools read at grade level (“Basic”) or above, as did only 51% of Black students and ?52% of Hispanic, but 81% of Asian students.? On the 2024 assessment, 73% of White, non-Hispanic, grade 8 students read at grade level or above, as did 57% of Black students, 52% of Hispanic students and 79% of Asian students.? In other words, in the New York City schools, there were large declines in the reading skills of White, non-Hispanic students, an increase in those of Black students, no change for Hispanic students and a small decline for Asian students.

Not much progress to be seen there and signs of danger for the future of a city which requires, and must support, a literate population.