Finally, the scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress– - called the "nation’s report card" - are in. Lots of states in New England are seeing similar results to rest of the country. Their students' math and reading scores held steady in some cases, while in others there isn't any improvement or scores even dropped. This data was released recently. It comes at a challenging point in time when educators and parents alike have been keeping a close eye on how well students are recovering from the disruptions caused by the pandemic in 2020.

        The test looks at a sample of students from a randomly selected groups of schools. It's required for schools to participate, although it doesn't directly affect student grades or teacher evaluations . This test is valuable because it provides a snapshot of student performance across the country. The score ranges typically from 0 to 490, but before you get comfortable with the new scores, they were taken from 500.

            It's not enough to say every student's participation was observed - the students who took the test were tested in school, with some students selected from different grades. Results must be contextualised - the data shows that almost half of the students who could be sampled were actually tested.

        Lets look at Massachusetts. Reading scores haven’t seen any major changes since 2022. But, eighth-graders in Boston had lower scores in both subjects. Rhode Island also saw a drop in both math and reading scores. This is a real disappointment because it tells us that even with billions of dollars poured into education to help students recover from the pandemic, it hasn't made the impact educators wanted.

        That Rhody state’s numbers are alarming -  Its 32 point gap between economically disadvantaged and non-economically disadvantaged students is the largest in the country.  This trend is continuing to grow in most places. That spells trouble since 2020. The test scores have been around since 1990,  showing that many people are still struggling to read, write and do math. The latest data releases have also predictably come with fresh criticism.

        It isn’t all bad news. New Hampshire students scored above the national average in both math and reading, suggesting the students there are bouncing back from the pandemic. But the Commissioner of Education, Frank Edelblut, says there’s still a "mixed bag" - he says that more motivated students are performing better, but those who are already behind are continuing to fall further behind.

            What does this mean for the future?  A lot of these changes will have a lasting effects, especially with schools trying to keep up with student needs.  Some states have seen a lot of schools adding new mental health programs and other services to help. Their efforts are nice, but are they really making a difference?   There are a lot of questions surrounding the renewed funding that was supposed to help out - will they be enough to sustain the gains, or will we see more loss?  The ball is in the state's courts.

        One thing that’s clear about this whole situation? This is  a huge chance – okay, not this time – lets do better next time.

Student Scores in New England Track National Patterns

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