Their View | Be wary of political spin on ‘nation’s report card’ results

These results, while unwelcome, are not surprising, given that it’s common knowledge that closing schools to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in classrooms and homes set students back. A majority of students did not take to virtual learning, with the lack of in-person instruction leading to learning loss.

It’s easy to use the NAEP scores to paint a gloomy picture, because the numbers in the abstract sound rather dire.

In 2022, the NAEP tests rated 36% of fourth graders and 26% of eighth graders nationwide as proficient in math, drops of five and eight percentage points, respectively, from 2019. Similarly in reading, only 33% of fourth graders and 31% of eighth graders were rated proficient or higher, drops of three percentage points from 2019.

Virginia’s numbers broke down this way: in math, 38% of fourth graders and 31% of eighth graders scored proficient, drops, respectively, of 10 and seven percentage points from 2019. In reading, 32% of fourth graders and 31% of eighth graders scored proficient, drops of six and two percentage points.

Compare those with the national numbers and it is plain that even though the percentages all trend down, to the degree Virginia faces an education crisis, the commonwealth is still faring better in math than most of the rest of the country, and on par when it comes to reading.

In a recent online presentation, journalists heard from Martin West, an academic dean and education professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, who is a member of the National Assessment Governing Board, the nonpartisan board that sets policy for the NAEP.

West issued cautions about interpreting the data in ways that make claims about cause and effect. He noted that the NAEP standards for proficiency cannot be compared in an apples to apples way to state requirements for passing grades or standards of learning tests. NAEP proficiency essentially corresponds to the national board’s assessments, informed by experts, as to where students need to be to continue their education past high school.

“We can use NAEP data to help us understand where educational improvement is needed, where it’s needed most. But once you start talking about your specific theories about what is holding back achievement, or has the potential to advance it, then those are theories that you’re bringing to your interpretation of NAEP data,” West said. The data can fuel a call to action, but offers little to support a case for a specific policy.

When Gov. Glenn Youngkin, in the wake of the latest NAEP announcement, denounced the policies of his Democratic predecessors and declared that Virginia’s educational standards are “the lowest in the nation,” one should note that a basic perusal of the proficiency percentages like the ones offered above prove that Youngkin’s declaration is false.

There’s no question the numbers reveal that problems exist, but when politicians put their own personal spin on the source and the solution, that spin should be regarded with healthy skepticism.