Statement on 2024 NAEP Scores

Today, the Florida Education Association (FEA) has released a statement regarding the latest round of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores in Florida:

“The latest results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) paint a troubling picture for Florida’s students: Our students are falling further behind the national average due to harmful education policies, a continued failure to invest in neighborhood public schools, and a persistent teacher shortage that leaves classrooms understaffed and students without the support they need. While scores have declined nationally, Florida’s eighth-grade reading and math scores have dropped even more sharply, and fourth-grade reading scores continue to slip. Alarmingly, the report also highlights that economically disadvantaged students are lagging even further behind their more privileged peers, widening existing achievement gaps.

“Of note, Florida’s report card shows:

• Eighth-grade reading scores in Florida have not significantly improved since 1998 and have once again fallen below the national average, ranking 44th in the nation.

• Eighth-grade math scores continue to fall behind, with Florida students performing worse than in 2003 in the basic and above level proficiencies and ranking 41st in average scores nationally.

• Fourth-grade reading scores still show the same pattern of decreasing scores since 2017, and Florida’s performance—while still above the national average—has shown no significant improvement since 2002, the first year of Florida’s participation in NAEP after beginning the policy of third-grade retention. Notably, that policy artificially inflates these scores by excluding the lowest-performing students from NAEP testing.

• Fourth-grade math scores are the one bright spot, with Florida ranking third nationally. However, these gains have not translated into closing achievement gaps for Black, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged students.

“These results are the long-term consequences of decades of underinvestment, overburdened educators, and bad policies that fail to support students equitably. Rather than listening to the experts—the teachers, staff, and administrators in our local neighborhood schools who work directly with parents to determine what’s best for students—leaders have ignored their voices, undermining the respect these professionals deserve and the critical role they play in student success. Add to this a teacher and staff shortage caused largely by Florida ranking 50th in the nation in average teacher pay, and resources being siphoned from public schools to fund Florida’s underregulated voucher program, and the result is a loss in student learning. This should be a wake-up call: Florida’s students deserve real investment in their neighborhood public schools — now. It’s time to take immediate action and that starts with fully funding public education, ensuring fair wages for educators, and keeping politics out of the classroom. Our students’ futures depend on it.”