With the recent release of the National Assessment of Educational Progress results, some may be tempted to make sweeping curricular changes or bemoan the state of education after seeing a decline in math and reading scores. As a state leader, practitioner, and mother, I think this would be a mistake with potentially damaging consequences.
Rather than make rash shifts in education policy, we should be careful and remain clear-eyed. Did anyone else notice that many states that have been working to implement the science of reading the longest are improving faster than the nation, which saw a 2-point decline in reading in 4th and 8th grades?
In Rhode Island, our students didn’t drop in reading scores on NAEP. We have held steady in literacy over the last two years, and we saw an increase in 4th grade math this year, all of which are consistent with our state assessments. While we’d have liked to see score gains in literacy, we believe they’re coming—with a strategic, consistent approach.
Five years ago, on the cusp of the pandemic, we shifted to the “science of reading.” This approach emphasizes explicitly teaching phonics, or the relationship between letters and sounds, and building students’ background knowledge and vocabulary to support reading comprehension.
We’ve spent time since then adopting evidence-based classroom resources and extensively training our teachers. Now, we’re focusing on helping educators incorporate these new materials and their training into the classroom. This is the steady and unglamorous work of policy implementation; but I have no doubt our scores will climb as a result. As I walk into classrooms now, I’m seeing teachers skillfully using high-quality materials and students deeply engaged in reading, writing, and speaking and listening. Early progress is evident in many Rhode Island districts as seen in walkthroughs of classrooms and formative and interim assessment data.
Just look at the progress of states like Louisiana and Mississippi, which are among the leaders in the science of reading and adoption of high-quality instructional materials.
Louisiana is the only state that has surpassed its pre-pandemic reading results on the Nation’s Report Card in 4th grade. It’s been a leader for more than a decade in putting well reviewed curriculum in schools. In Mississippi, which passed one of the most widely regarded science of reading laws in 2013, 4th and 8th graders are now working near where they were in 2019 before the pandemic upended education and sent achievement plummeting nationwide.
We need to come together around what works in education, and the science of reading has broad bipartisan support. However, there are some with special interests and those stuck in the past—such as the creators of outdated materials—who don’t believe state education leaders should play a role in guiding and supporting good instruction but believe it should be left up to individual teachers to cobble together curriculum and choose what to use and how. That makes no sense, and even led some parents in Massachusetts to file a lawsuit against reading curricula creators and publishers, alleging that the materials were not backed by science and used deceptive and fraudulent marketing to sell their programs.
In addition to being a state education chief and a teacher trained in the science of reading, I’m a mom to two kids. Like those parents, I’ve always wanted research-based practices, the best curriculum, and high expectations for my kids. Who wouldn’t?
I spend as much time as possible visiting classrooms in my state, and what I’m seeing is exciting. During literacy lessons today, students are engaged in rich conversations or writing assignments centered around literature they’re reading. Everyone has access to grade-level material.
The last thing teachers want is to see this progress disrupted. They’re tired of having policies arrive at the schoolhouse door, last a little while, and then get set aside for something else new and shiny. We need to adopt policies wisely using sound evidence and then put resources and time into making the implementation process work on the ground.
It’s also important to remember that the 4th graders with low NAEP scores were in kindergarten when the pandemic hit. Many learned to read online. That was a challenge—one that’s probably reflected in these scores.
Clearly, though, we have more work to do.
Teacher-preparation programs must ensure aspiring teachers are getting the training to excel on the job. In Rhode Island, we require teaching candidates to receive training in the science of reading as part of their educator preparation programs and to be in the classroom. Other states should also consider this since evidence suggests there are gaps in what teaching candidates learn at schools of education with many aspiring educators not learning all the necessary components of how to teach reading.
Another problem that deserves attention is the sharp decline in independent reading. The most recent Long-Term-Trend report, another NAEP assessment, found just 14 percent of 13-year-olds read for fun on their own. I think about my own childhood, spent reading with a flashlight at bedtime, and feel sad today’s youth doesn’t feel that same pull toward books.
We need to do everything we can to bring engaging literacy-rich programs to our schools, after-school programs, and summer activities. In some Rhode Island schools and other schools in the country, there are vending machines stocked with books. I love hearing the clink of coins in the machine and seeing kids excitedly picking out a book.
We also have to address chronic absenteeism: if kids aren’t in school, they cannot learn. While survey data on the latest Nation’s Report Card show it’s improving, we’re still not back to pre-pandemic levels. Rhode Island state assessment data from 2024 showed a roughly 25 percentage-point achievement gap between elementary and secondary students who are chronically absent and their peers who attend school regularly. Policies we’ve seen help include improving attendance tracking systems, engaging meaningfully with parents through phone calls and home visits, and ensuring families have services and supports they need, like mental and physical health care.
There is no one single policy that alone will improve student learning. Efforts to raise achievement and get kids reading are all part of a bigger puzzle that, when put together, gives young people the greatest shot at success in and outside the classroom.
Let’s analyze the latest NAEP results, learn from them, and make smart, evidence-based decisions that drive our country forward. If we do that, we’ll surely see positive outcomes on the next Nation’s Report Card and in students’ lives.
