NAEP 2024: Making Sense of the Reading Data (Without the Panic)
Every two years, the release of NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) results leads to headlines filled with words like “crisis,” “decline,” and “historic lows.” The 2024 NAEP reading scores were no exception. Eighth-grade reading scores dropped to their lowest levels since the test began over 30 years ago, and fourth-grade scores continued their downward trend (https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/).
But here’s the thing: teachers already knew this was coming.
Educators have been sounding the alarm for years. They’ve watched students struggle with reading comprehension, vocabulary, and stamina. They’ve raised concerns about instructional shifts, reading gaps that started well before the pandemic, and the limitations of certain approaches to literacy instruction. The NAEP scores don’t reveal a new problem; they confirm what educators have been saying all along.
So instead of treating these results as a wake-up call, let’s focus on what they actually tell us—and more importantly, how we can use this information alongside other assessments to support real solutions.
What Do NAEP Reading Scores Actually Measure?
First, let’s be clear about what NAEP does—and doesn’t—tell us about reading achievement.
NAEP is a measure of reading comprehension, not decoding skills.
Unlike many state or local reading tests, NAEP doesn’t assess phonics or basic word recognition. Instead, it measures how well students understand and analyze what they read.
NAEP is a broad indicator of national trends.
These grade 4 and 8 Reading tests have been given consistently since 1992 with rigorous psychometric standards, making NAEP the most reliable long-term measure of overall student performance in the U.S.
It does not tell us how individual students, teachers, or schools are performing.
NAEP results confirm long-term trends, not sudden shifts.
While the pandemic accelerated declines, reading scores have been slipping for more than a decade—particularly among lower-performing students.
The widening gap between high and low performers suggests that we need to take a hard look at how we support struggling readers, including if they are even getting access to more complex text to build their thinking skills and knowledge.
Where Do These Scores Fit in the Bigger Picture?
NAEP is just one piece of a much larger assessment landscape. While it provides a stable, national indicator of long-term trends in student performance, it does not—and was never intended to—offer a granular view of individual student or school achievement. For district and school leaders, understanding where NAEP fits alongside state assessments, interim benchmarks, and classroom-based evaluations is critical for making informed decisions.
If you're wondering how NAEP data compares to other assessments and how it can be used effectively without overinterpreting its results, check out our previous blog post, which breaks down the broader assessment landscape and how each type of data serves a distinct role in supporting student learning.
Key Takeaways for School and District Leaders
Rather than panic over the latest scores, let’s focus on what they confirm—and what we can do next.
1. We Need to Move Beyond "Test Prep" for Reading Comprehension
Many reading interventions focus on strategies like “finding the main idea” or “making inferences.” While these skills are important, comprehension is not a generic skill—it’s deeply tied to background knowledge and vocabulary.
Instead of drilling strategies, focus on building knowledge-rich literacy instruction that connects reading to science, social studies, and real-world content.
Approaching reading comprehension as knowledge exploration and building makes these skills more transferable, not just in school settings but in students’ everyday life.
2. Prioritize Growth Metrics, Not Just Proficiency
NAEP results show that lower-performing students are struggling more than ever before. If your district is using only proficiency rates to measure success, you may be missing the real story of these lowest performing students.
Consider adding growth-focused metrics—such as progress monitoring tools that track gains over time, not just a single cut score.
Students who are always “in the red” or at the lowest performance levels, have to demonstrate substantial gains to get out of that classification. Focusing on their growth within the classifications lower than proficient can help how the student understands their own learning journey. The Compassionate Assessment Framework emphasizes student attitudes and beliefs around assessment—and growth metrics for all levels is more useful for students to reflect on their progress.
3. Literacy Instruction Can’t Stop at Third Grade
Much of the recent focus on literacy has been in early elementary grades (thanks to the Science of Reading movement). While foundational skills are essential, reading comprehension challenges don’t magically disappear after third grade.
Reading comprehension and knowledge building changes forms as students climb through the grades and encounter more and more complex texts in their classes. In that way, reading instruction does not really end, but rather evolve over the years.
Make sure middle school reading instruction includes explicit comprehension support, structured vocabulary development, and opportunities for students to engage with texts that come in a variety of forms and levels of complexity.
4. Connect Assessment Data to Actionable Supports
NAEP can’t tell you which students in your district need targeted help, but a picture can be formed using state, local, and classroom assessments.
Use all of your data already available to you:
Identify students who need extra support in vocabulary and comprehension strategies.
Adjust professional development for teachers to focus on knowledge-building literacy instruction.
Ensure reading intervention programs aren’t solely focused on phonics, but also address comprehension and knowledge building.
Connecting NAEP Reading to the Compassionate Assessment Framework
The Compassionate Assessment Framework reminds us that how we talk about assessment data matters just as much as the data itself. The latest NAEP results are not just numbers—they represent real students, real teachers, and real learning experiences.
Adult Attitudes & Beliefs: Avoid framing these results as a failure of educators. Instead, acknowledge that teachers and administrators have been raising these concerns for years—and use this data as a tool to advocate for needed reflection on and changes in practices.
Assessment Environment: Ensure that NAEP data is used constructively, not punitively. Administrators can use these results to inform literacy policies, rather than reacting with fear-based decision-making. They also provide powerful contextual information to help frame local patterns. When the larger trend is downward, small gains mean more.
Student Attitudes & Beliefs: Be mindful of how these conversations trickle down to students. If we constantly frame test results as a "crisis," students internalize a sense of failure. Particularly on a test the vast majority of students are not aware of or participate in. Instead, focus on how it indicates overall trends across the nation, and that these outcomes are averages that do not have to be true for them individually.
Final Thoughts:
The 2024 NAEP reading scores tell a familiar story—one that educators have been trying to share for years. The real question isn’t why scores dropped this time but how we respond to what we already knew was happening.
Rather than waiting for the next NAEP release to bring more bad news, let’s use the data we have now to drive meaningful changes in literacy instruction for ALL grade levels, focused assessment design implemented with fidelity to their purpose, and support for all students navigating their own reading journey. Only with sustained and focused efforts do we have a chance of seeing positive movement on the national level.
Our next post will break down the 2024 NAEP math grade 4 and 8 results and why understanding national math trends matters just as much as reading.
