Mohamed Bughrara
As students in Pennsylvania return to normal with in-person school activities, recently released school reports remind us of the progress Pennsylvania’s grade schoolers made in the subjects of reading and writing between 2015-2019.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress(NAEP) is the largest nationally recognized assessment body. The NAEP assesses 4th, 8th, and 12th graders on various subjects across the United States . According to the Nation’s Report Card, out of a possible total score of 500, the average score for 4th grade mathematics students across Pennsylvania in 2019 was 244, a two point increase from the 2019 average of 242. The average score for 4th grade mathematics students in the state of Pennsylvania in 2015 was 243. The national average was 240 in 2019 and 2015.
8th grade students in Pennsylvania scored higher, with a 2019 average score of 285. The average score for 8th grade math students in 2017 was 286, while the average score for grade 8 students in mathematics in 2015 was 284.
The average score for 4th grade students in reading across the state of Pennsylvania in 2019 was 223. In 2017, the average score was 225, and 227 in 2015. All three years, Pennsylvanian students scored well above average in reading, overcoming the combined national average of 220 between 2015-2019.
The average score for grade 8 students in reading for the state of Pennsylvania in 2019 was 264. In 2017, the average score was 270. In 2015, 8th grade students scored 227 out of 500 in reading, 5 points above the national average.
