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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 24, 2022
Amid Steep Nationwide Declines, Alaska Maintains Achievement Level in Reading, Declines in Math on The Nation’s Report Card
JUNEAU – Today the National Center for Education Statistics released results for the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), showing the first comparative nationwide assessment of math and reading since before the pandemic in 2019.
In both fourth and eighth grade reading, Alaska saw no significant change in scores compared to 2019. No state experienced a statistically significant increase in fourth grade reading, and 29 states and Washington DC experienced a decline in fourth grade reading scores. Alaska’s reading scores are still among the lowest in the nation with the fourth grade average below NAEP basic. However, because Alaska’s scores did not change over the course of the pandemic and the national average dropped, the achievement gap between Alaska and the national average is smaller than before the pandemic. Alaska’s eighth grade reading score is considered NAEP basic. Like fourth grade reading, the achievement gap between the national average and Alaska’s scores is smaller than in 2019 due to the national average decline and Alaska maintaining its scores.
Alaska’s mathematics results more closely reflect nationwide trends with both grades declining. However, eigth grade declined less than the national average. Alaska’s eighth grade math scores were higher than those in seven states/districts and statistically similar to 20 states. Alaska’s fourth grade math score was only higher than one state, and similar to 10 states/jurisdictions.
“Alaska’s 2022 NAEP results affirm that the priorities established in Alaska’s Education Challenge continue to be the right goals for Alaska,” said Department of Education & Early Development Acting Commissioner Heidi Teshner. “Given the unprecedented disruptions to traditional schooling during the 2019-2020 and parts of the 2020-2021 school years, this data is a testament to the skill and dedication of Alaska’s educators and the support of families to help our students navigate the difficulties of the previous two years.”
The 2022 NAEP reading and mathematics assessments were given to a representative sample of grade 4 and grade 8 students in public schools in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. Department of Defense schools at the beginning of 2022. In Alaska, each of the four assessments included approximately 1,600 students in about 210 schools.
NAEP data provides one standardized way for Alaska to compare the performance of its students in reading and mathematics with students across the country. NAEP is not designed to report results for individual schools or students. A sampling procedure is used to ensure that NAEP participants are representative of the geographical, racial/ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity of schools and students across the country. NAEP was administered to students as a digitally based assessment in 2022.
Results for The Nation’s Report Card: 2022 Mathematics and Reading are available in an interactive online format at www.nationsreportcard.gov.
NAEP is a congressionally authorized project of the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education. The Commissioner of Education Statistics is responsible for carrying out the NAEP project. The National Assessment Governing Board oversees and sets policy for NAEP.
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The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development provides information, resources, and leadership to support over 130,000 students in 505 public schools across the state of Alaska. The mission of the department is to ensure an “Excellent Education for Every Student Every Day.”
Media Contact: Grant Robinson, Public Information Officer, (907) 500-4983
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