WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released a statement following the publication of new results from the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which show a significant decline in students’ scores in reading, math, and science.
The NAEP results show that 12th graders are leaving high school with the lowest levels of math and reading knowledge ever recorded by NAEP. The new 12th grade results reflect the continuing decline in reading and math scores that was already seen in the 4th- and 8th-grade assessments released earlier this year. The results also show that 8th-grade science scores have fallen back to 2009 levels, when the current framework for the NAEP science test was first administered.
“These scores clearly show the K-12 system is failing children and families. Students are leaving high school unable to read and unprepared for the workforce,” said Dr. Cassidy. “We are at risk of having an entire generation of children fail to become productive adults if classroom proficiency does not improve.”
“President Trump and Secretary McMahon are committed to reforming our broken education system to prioritize student achievement and put families first. As Chairman of the Senate HELP Committee, I am committed to working with them towards this common goal,” continued Dr. Cassidy.
Recently, Cassidy released a report that outlines ways to improve child literacy and fix the broken K-12 education system to better serve American children and families. In the report, Cassidy underscored the devastating effects of illiteracy, including increasing rates of high school incompletion and incarceration. It also impacts our nation’s ability to fill STEM jobs, raising serious concerns about our global economic competitiveness and our military’s preparedness.
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