Recent NAEP Test Scores Illustrate the Importance of High-Dosage Tutoring

Two decades of progress…gone. The recently released National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Long-Term Trend (LTT) Assessment scores reveal a stark reality: math and reading scores for 13-year-olds across the United States dropped dramatically between 2020 and 2023, marking an even steeper decline compared to a decade ago. This follows earlier reports showing that 9-year-olds’ math and reading performance had also regressed to levels last seen 20 years ago.

NAEP Test Background and Insights

Known as “the nation’s report card,” the NAEP LTT test is a gold standard for measuring and comparing student achievement across decades. The 2023 test sampled approximately 8,700 13-year-olds in math and reading, while the 2022 test included 15,000 9-year-olds from over 400 schools.

Key findings include:

• 2022: Scores for 9-year-olds declined five (5) points in reading and seven (7) points in math compared to 2020, marking the largest reading decline since 1990 and the first-ever math decline.
• 2023: Scores for 13-year-olds dropped four (4) points in reading and nine (9) points in math compared to 2020. Compared to a decade ago, scores fell seven (7) points in reading and 14 points in math.

Additional Insights

• In 2022, scores for lower-performing 9-year-olds declined more significantly than those for higher-performing students.
• In 2023, reading and math scores for 13-year-olds dropped across all performance levels, with lower-performing students experiencing the largest declines.
• The score gap between students in suburban and city schools narrowed in reading (from 12 points in 2020 to 4 points in 2022) but widened in math (from 25 points in 2020 to 33 points in 2022).
• Black students experienced a 13-point math score drop compared to a 6-point drop among white students, widening the racial gap from 35 points in 2020 to 42 points in 2023.
• By 2022, 9-year-olds were performing at 1999 levels in math and 2004 levels in reading.

Attendance Trends and Their Impact

As part of the 2023 LTT Assessment, students were asked about school attendance. The data revealed troubling trends:

• The percentage of 13-year-olds who missed 5 or more days of school in the past month doubled from 5% in 2020 to 10% in 2023.
• Students who missed fewer school days generally had higher average scores in both reading and math than those who missed more days.

The Case for High-Dosage Tutoring

The dramatic declines in NAEP scores highlight the urgent need for targeted academic intervention. High-dosage tutoring has emerged as a proven solution for addressing learning loss and helping students catch up. By focusing on small-group or one-to-one instruction, high-dosage tutoring provides the personalized support students need to rebuild foundational skills and close achievement gaps.