Math scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress declined this year for the first time in the test’s 25-year history. The national exam is taken by randomly selected fourth- and eighth-graders. For this year’s test, fourth-grade students’ math scores fell two points, and the eighth-graders’ by three points, compared with the exam taken in 2013. In addition, the average eighth-grade reading score dropped three points, while the fourth-graders’ was unchanged. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the news “isn’t great,” but he and other officials warned against viewing this year’s results as an indicator of a possible long-term trend.
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