Pat Brand
389 Country
North Carolina students are excelling in eighth-grade math, outpacing the national average, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Education. The findings, part of the 2024
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card, reveal that while overall student performance remains below pre-pandemic levels, there are encouraging trends in mathematics achievement.
Administered every two years to a representative sample of fourth and eighth graders, the NAEP assesses proficiency in reading and math. The 2024 results indicate that North Carolina’s eighth graders scored statistically above the national average in math, with approximately 62% achieving at or above the Basic level, compared to 59% nationwide. Furthermore, the percentage of students reaching proficiency in both fourth and eighth-grade math has increased since 2022.
Despite these gains, the report highlights persistent challenges. North Carolina’s scale scores have not shown significant change in any subject since 2022, and three of the four tested areas remain below pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, the data underscores widening achievement gaps, particularly between high-achieving students (75th and 90th percentiles) and lower-performing students (10th and 25th percentiles).
State Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green acknowledged the continued impact of pandemic-related disruptions on student learning. “These students had their learning disrupted during a critical time in their early education,” Green stated. “While it is always disappointing to see a lack of progress, the NAEP data tracks with trends we’re seeing in state-level end-of-grade testing. The widening achievement gap adds another layer of urgency to the work my team and I will be doing over the next four years to inspire excellence in our public schools.”
Reading scores for North Carolina students followed national trends, remaining steady while reading proficiency declined nationwide. However, Green noted that the data does not yet reflect the state’s recent emphasis on literacy instruction, including the implementation of the science of reading approach. Since 2021, over 44,000 educators in North Carolina have completed professional development training through the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) program. Early literacy assessments indicate that students in grades K-3 continue to show steady improvement, with North Carolina first through third graders outperforming national peers in beginning-of-year Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS 8) assessments.
Tammy Howard, senior director of accountability and testing for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, emphasized the distinction between NAEP proficiency levels and North Carolina’s end-of-grade (EOG) assessments. “NAEP Proficient and Advanced are similar to Levels 4 and 5 on the EOG in that they both signify solid and superior academic performance,” Howard explained.
While the NAEP does not report district- or school-level results, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Guilford County Schools participate in the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) program, allowing for district-specific data.
The full NAEP dataset is available through The Nation’s Report Card, and the N.C. Department of Public Instruction will present further analysis at the upcoming State Board of Education meeting in February.
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