on’s Report Card shows little growth in PA student test scores

Pennsylvania is one of a majority of states where students’ reading and math scores have failed to return to pre-pandemic levels.
Pennsylvania’s reading and math scores were slightly above the national average for 2024, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
But Pennsylvania is one of a majority of states that have failed to get back to pre-pandemic levels, and fourth-grade reading declined, the “Nation’s Report Card” showed.
According to the NAEP results, Pennsylvania’s fourth- and eighth-graders scored lower in both reading and math than in 2019.
The NAEP, the only assessment taken by students in every state, is released every two years and tracks fourth- and eighth-grade students’ math and reading assessment scores.
The findings reflect a variety of challenges that local superintendents say have impacted education, including pandemic school closures, high rates of absenteeism, and a youth mental health crisis.
“There is a confluence of issues going on,” said Canon-McMillan School District’s superintendent, Dr. Gregory Taranto, noting school attendance is at an all-time low.
“That is a trend going back to pre-pandemic. School needs to take priority once again; kids miss way too much school. If you’re not in school, you’re not learning,” he said.
“We also understand that competition for a student’s attention is at an all-time high, and that starts with students’ access to screens, 24/7,” Taranto said.
And the results showed a widening gap between the highest- and lowest-performing students, with poorer-performing students falling further behind.
“Overall, student achievement has not returned to pre-pandemic performance,” said Peggy G. Carr of the National Center for Education Statistics. “Where there are signs of recovery, they are mostly in math and largely driven by higher-performing students. Lower-performing students are struggling, especially in reading.”
Carr said that students “are not where they need to be, or where we want them to be.”
The average math score for Pennsylvania eighth-graders was higher than those of 25 other states, and the average reading score was ahead of 14 other states.
Washington School District Superintendent George Lammay said the district has prioritized early literacy and changed how they approach early literacy instruction, turning to the “science of reading,” a method of teaching reading that focuses on incorporating research-based practices into how educators teach kids to read.
Science of reading – and its evidence-based methods – is gaining traction in school districts across the country.
A study in The 74, a nonprofit news outlet covering U.S. education, showed Washington School District’s third-grade students are outperforming what might be expected of them and listed Washington as a school district “doing the best job teaching kids to read.”
Despite a high poverty rate, 49% of third-graders are reading at a proficient rate, while 28% are expected to read at a proficient level.
“We are elated by this,” said Lammay, who said the school district implemented the science of reading three years ago and has seen an increase in student reading proficiency. “We’ve focused on reading the last three years, and we will continue to do so.”
He said the district became interested in the science of reading after seeing positive results in the Steubenville School District, which has similar demographics.
Lammay said the school has observed the disparity in progress on standardized tests, where students from wealthier schools are making more significant gains.
“The research is pretty clear: The pandemic did most harm to children coming from poverty situations, and there are a lot of things in play that harmed their academic success. A lot depends on where a child begins,” said Lammay. “The pandemic really damaged kids from poverty, and I have great concerns based on that fact. I looked at our seniors’ Keystone scores the other days, and kids not affected by poverty and other factors are doing great. That’s why I’m so happy about (The 74’s) chart, because we are bringing kids up in reading. They’re all not rising at the same rate, but it is a start.”
He said the district also is working to provide services to address students’ mental health and to improve attendance rates.
“Attendance is not where we want it to be, but it is a work in progress,” said Lammay. “We need to make sure our kids leave with a solid education.”
Dr. Jesse T. Wallace III, Superintendent of Laurel Highlands School District, said his district has encountered the same challenges that school districts are facing nationally and locally, and added that staff shortages and years of underfunding also are impacting education.
“It is great..that Pennsylvania scores are higher than the national average – teachers, students and administrators continue to work hard each day,” said Wallace in an email. “We are proud of them and they should be commended for such.”
Taranto also cautioned that while standardized tests can be useful, standardized testing has “grown into a monster” in the past 25 years, and said it “should be part of the puzzle, but has grown into something way larger than it should be.”