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According to national test results released Wednesday morning, West Virginia’s fourth and eighth graders are improving their reading and math abilities.
West Virginia’s average fourth grade math score on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is 232, six points higher than it was in 2022 at 227 and just five points below the national average of 237.
The National Assessments, also known as the Nation’s Report Card, continually assess what students in the United States know, particularly reading and math in the 4th and 8th grades. Analysis of test results released in 2023 showed the continued negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on schooling, but also identified trends of a national academic decline prior to the pandemic.
Other scores released Wednesday morning show small increases of one point in average fourth grade reading and eighth grade math scores in West Virginia. Eighth grade reading scores fell by two points.
West Virginia trails the national averages by as much as 11 points in some subjects, and demographic analysis shows significantly lower scores for Black students and economically disadvantaged students in the state. For example, Black students had an average score that was 15 points lower than that for White students in fourth grade math, while students who were identified as economically disadvantaged had an average score that was 17 points lower than that for students who were identified as not economically disadvantaged.
Average scores also belie the reality that many students assessed are not meeting national standards. For eighth grade math, 52% of students in West Virginia scored below the NAEP Basic standard, compared to 41% nationally.
Reading results at both grade levels similarly show 47% of fourth graders and 42% of eighth graders scoring below the NAEP Basic standards.
Fourth grade math had the best results, with 72% of students assessed at or above the NAEP Basic level and just 28% below NAEP Basic standards.
