INDIANAPOLIS — A new report shows Indiana moved to the top ten in the nation for its reading scores, but it also shows U.S. students are struggling to recover from pandemic-related learning loss.
The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the ‘Nation's Report Card', was released this week.
It looks at how fourth and eighth graders nationwide do on math and reading in each state.
Indiana improved in rankings for fourth and eighth graders becoming the sixth in the nation for reading.
“Patting yourself on the back because you know you're best at the pack, but the pack's not moving as fast as we need to. I think we need to be cautious about that, but I think you have to also stop and recognize success,” said state Rep. Robert Behning, the chair of the House Education Committee.
Behning credited a lot of that success to a historic investment in education they’ve been pushing for that focuses on the science of reading and resources for teachers.
“We're focusing on new teachers and then in-service teachers, providing them additional money to take the classes in professional development," Behning said.
The effort has especially been reflected in Hoosier students who’ve historically struggled.
Black Fourth Graders had one of the most significant jumps in 2024, rising to above pre-pandemic levels.
“It’s great news that we’re seeing that jump and we ought to continue what we do and also create more resources for these communities,” said Katherin Chi.
Chi works for RISE Indy, an organization that advocates for equity in education and served more than 46,000 students last year.
Despite a notable rise in reading scores, math scores did not reflect the same.
“Even though that number is trending upward, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done,” said Chi.
Fourth-grade scores only increased slightly, and eighth-grade scores decreased.
Both are still not above pre-pandemic levels.
“Clearly it’s an area where we know we need to maybe take the next steps. With the success we've had in reading, we've kind of got more of a road map,” Behning told WRTV.
For a complete breakdown of the data, click here.
