Stop Failing Students: Declining Scores Demand Proven Solutions

A Troubling Trend That Began Long Before the Pandemic

Recent data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as the Nation’s Report Card, reveal that U.S. 12th-grade reading and math scores have fallen to their lowest levels since the current versions of the tests began. In 2024, only 22% of seniors were proficient in math and 35% in reading, both marking new lows and continuing a decline that predates COVID-19 (wsj.com, washingtonpost.com). Higher-performing students have remained stable, while the steepest drops are among lower-performing students (washingtonpost.com, wsj.com).

Long-term trend data for 9-year-olds confirms steep recent declines: reading scores dropped 5 points and math 7 points between 2020 and 2022, the largest declines in decades (nationsreportcard.gov, ies.ed.gov). Although pandemic disruptions exacerbated the slide, the downward trajectory was already underway (washingtonpost.com, timesofindia.indiatimes.com).

Pause on Growth Talk: Are We Settling Too Low?

The phrase “meeting kids where they are” often masquerades as compassionate policy, but when it becomes the goal instead of a strategy, it lowers the bar. Educators must instead consistently expose students to grade-level work, paired with scaffolding, so they understand what proficiency looks like and what they are aiming for.

Research affirms this. Access to grade-level material every day, even for those behind, fosters true learning provided supports are in place to scaffold rather than dilute rigor (progresslearning.com). Similarly, the theory of the “zone of proximal development” shows that students learn best when challenged just beyond their current level, supported by scaffolding, rather than plateauing in comfort (aurora-institute.org).

The Need to Move Beyond Growth Excuses and Focus on Proficiency

We have spent too long celebrating growth, even minimal growth, as success. When students drift through years of schooling without proper grade-level challenge, they are robbed of the opportunity to become proficient by a meaningful standard. It is time to shift the focus from growth alone to real, visible proficiency.

This shift does not preclude remediation or support. In fact, it demands a balanced approach that blends on-grade-level instruction with targeted remediation for those who need it.

Innovation Meets Research: Schools That Get It Right

Some schools and networks are already proving this works in practice:

Success Academy (NYC). Consistently high proficiency rates on New York State assessments illustrate what is possible when high expectations, tight instructional systems, and teacher development meet. Success Academy reports 2024 pass rates of 96 percent in math and 83 percent in ELA for grades 3 to 8, far above city averages of 47% and 43%,, and state data portals allow school-level verification (Success Academy; data.nysed.gov).

Uncommon Schools. Independent evaluations and system data highlight strong outcomes across Uncommon’s regions. A 2022 evaluation provides design and impact context for Uncommon’s Newark and NYC schools, and Uncommon reports college outcomes that exceed those of similar peers, including higher college persistence and completion rates (ERIC; Uncommon Schools).

KIPP Public Schools. A 2023 Mathematica study using lottery-based methods found that attending both KIPP middle and high schools produced large gains in college completion, nearly closing gaps for Black and Latino students compared with similar lottery applicants who did not attend KIPP. This is rare, high-quality evidence that academic gains translate into long-run attainment (Mathematica; The 74).

System-level evidence backs these exemplars. Stanford’s CREDO National Charter School Study III (2023) found that, on average, students in public charters made stronger gains in reading and math compared with similar students in nearby district schools, with especially positive effects in CMO-run networks (National Charter School Study; CREDO).

The Promise of AI and the Science of Learning

We now have AI-powered, research-based instruction at our fingertips. This technology can help teachers offer real-time scaffolds, tailor interventions using data, and maintain grade-level expectations while supporting learners’ diverse needs. It is exactly the tool we need to meet kids where they are without stopping there.

A Call to Action

• Test scores fell long before COVID, and recent data only confirm the continuation of that trend (washingtonpost.com, wsj.com).
• Meeting students where they are must not be the destination. Grade-level exposure with scaffolds is what works (progresslearning.com, aurora-institute.org).
• Proficiency, not just growth, should be the aim. Students need to see real benchmarks and understand the destination.
• Charters like Success Academy offer proof that rigorous, research-based instruction works (fordhaminstitute.org, courseware.hbs.edu).
• We must harness innovation and AI, blending them with the science of learning, to strategically elevate every classroom.

Professional Development That Works: Quick Wins for Schools

High-performing schools show that professional growth must be intentional, continuous, and aligned to student learning goals. Principals and instructional coaches can start tomorrow with these evidence-based strategies:

• Prioritize Grade-Level Content: Anchor PD in curriculum and standards so teachers practice how to deliver rigorous, grade-level lessons with scaffolds rather than diluted tasks (TNTP, The Opportunity Myth, 2018).
• Use Real-Time Coaching: Incorporate short observation–feedback cycles or peer coaching so teachers immediately apply strategies and refine their practice (Kraft, Blazar, & Hogan, Review of Educational Research, 2018).
• Build Collaborative Planning Routines: Structure weekly team meetings around analyzing student work, planning lessons, and sharing effective instructional moves (Darling-Hammond et al., Effective Teacher Professional Development, Learning Policy Institute, 2017).
• Train the Trainers and Leaders: Invest in developing instructional leaders who can coach others. When principals, assistant principals, and lead teachers are equipped to model and support best practices, improvements spread consistently across classrooms (Learning Forward, Standards for Professional Learning, 2022).

Professional development is not about compliance hours. It is about equipping educators and leaders with the tools to deliver research-based instruction that helps every student reach proficiency.

The Consequences of Inaction

Failing to address declining scores has far-reaching consequences:

• Graduates with gaps in foundational skills
• Lower college and career readiness
• Diminished confidence and motivation among students
• Long-term economic and social impacts on communities

Declining student scores are a call to action, not a cause for resignation. By embracing evidence-based interventions and fostering a culture of support and high expectations, it is possible to stop failing students and build a brighter future for all.

We can no longer hide behind excuses or settle for what feels good. It is time to demand, design, and deliver powerful instruction grounded in evidence so that every child meets the bar, not just sees it.