Academic Achievement

Read more about how students are performing academically
Diverse group of middle school students working on laptops in a classroom setting.
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Student Achievement What the Research Says U.S. Teenagers Decline in Global Test of Math, But Hold Steady in Reading, Science
The Program for International Student Assessment shows U.S. students lost less ground than their global peers during the pandemic.
Sarah D. Sparks, December 5, 2023
4 min read
Image of an adult working with students in the library.
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Reading & Literacy 'Science of Reading' Reforms Show Student Gains in California, Study Finds
The research provides some of the first evidence that efforts to bring reading teaching in line with research have raised achievement.
Sarah Schwartz, December 4, 2023
6 min read
Tight crop of the back of a kid holding a bad scored test behind his back and facing his parents who are sitting on a couch in their living room
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Student Achievement Quiz QUIZ: How Are Students Doing Academically? Test Your Knowledge
Answer these seven questions about American students' academic performance in recent years.
Caitlynn Peetz, November 17, 2023
1 min read
Hand holding out school report card with grades for test scores or school grades. Background with student silhouettes.
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Families & the Community Parents Don’t Know When Their Kids Have Fallen Behind. Report Cards Could Be the Problem
Parents rely on report cards to gauge whether their kids are on track academically. But they might be misleading, a survey shows.
Caitlynn Peetz, November 15, 2023
6 min read
Michael Crowder, 11, right, reads to Tim McNeeley, left, during an after-school literacy program in Atlanta on April 6, 2023. McNeeley, director of the Atlanta based Pure Hope Project, hosts the daily program for children in kindergarten through 5th grade.
Michael Crowder, 11, right, reads to Tim McNeeley, left, during an after-school literacy program in Atlanta on April 6, 2023. McNeeley, director of the Atlanta based Pure Hope Project, hosts the daily program for children in kindergarten through 5th grade.
Alex Slitz/AP
Student Achievement What the Research Says The State of After-School and Summer Programs, in Charts
New federal data show most schools offer extended-time academic programs, but small percentages of students use them.
Sarah D. Sparks, November 8, 2023
1 min read
Image of a student walking with a backpack on.
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Student Achievement What the Research Says Keeping Younger Students Back a Grade Shows Benefits Over Time, Study Finds
New longitudinal research shows reading and math benefits for retaining younger students who need more time.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 13, 2023
4 min read
Gerilyn Williams, a middle school math teacher in New Jersey, stands in her classroom.
Gerilyn Williams, a middle school math teacher in New Jersey, says students now look forward to math class as a result of the gamification of her instruction.
Photo courtesy of Gerilyn Williams
Teaching Q&A How Gamifying Instruction Improved Student Test Scores in This Teacher's Classroom
A middle school math teacher says gamification of instruction has given her students more of a growth mindset.
Lauraine Langreo, October 11, 2023
3 min read
An excavator out in front of a school renovation site, with the entrance doors in the background
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School & District Management These School Building Improvements Are Most Likely to Boost Test Scores
Some facility upgrades can effectively close 10 percent of the achievement gap between high- and low-wealth districts, new research shows.
Mark Lieberman, October 5, 2023
4 min read
An illustration of the United States map made up from computer code of ones and zeros
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Student Achievement What the Latest Student Test Results Reveal: 5 Things to Know
Academic achievement is improving more quickly in math. But the data are hard to interpret.
Sarah Schwartz, October 4, 2023
6 min read
Student Achievement Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Strategies for Improved Student Outcomes?
Answer 7 questions about student learning outcomes.
October 2, 2023
Asian male student in classroom with head in hand doing desk work.
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Student Achievement What the Research Says Older Students 'Running Out of Time' for Academic Recovery
A annual report finds significant academic and mental health problems for secondary students.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 13, 2023
4 min read
Photo of students taking exam on laptops.
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Assessment Q&A Q&A: Top NAEP Official Talks About the Future of Nation's Report Card and More
Statistics commissioner Peggy Carr says persistent chronic absenteeism is partly to blame for historically low test scores.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 11, 2023
5 min read
Illustration of various data
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Mathematics Project The State of Math Education, in Charts
See the numbers on students' declining math scores, job demands for data skills, and teachers' math preparation.
Sarah D. Sparks, July 31, 2023
1 min read
Lindsey Henderson, a secondary-mathematics specialist for the Utah board of education, talks about data science and the Utah Mathematics Pathways initiative with math educators during a seminar at Pleasant Grove High School in Pleasant Grove on May 30.
Lindsey Henderson, a secondary-mathematics specialist for the Utah board of education, talks about data science during a seminar at Pleasant Grove High School in Pleasant Grove, Utah, on May 30, 2023.
Jim Urquhart for Education Week
Mathematics Project Are Students Getting All the Math They Need to Succeed?
Advocates say reforms in math teaching are pushing out statistics and geometry and driving a drop in students' math scores.
Sarah D. Sparks, July 31, 2023
15 min read