Viewpoints Explained: Why Are Teen Reading Scores At A 30-Year-Low?

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The country’s report card recently came back, and it’s not good news. High school reading scores have sunk to their lowest point in more than thirty years. Results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which is considered the nation’s most reliable benchmark test, show that about a third of last year’s seniors scored below basic reading proficiency. About 35 percent of students scored just proficient marks in reading. So – what’s behind the big drop?

Experts say more students are regularly missing class since the pandemic and this has led to interrupted learning. Last year, a survey led by the national assessment of educational progress showed that almost a quarter of fourth graders missed five or more days of school in the previous month. That’s double the rate reported in 2019.

On top of this, more young people are spending several hours in front of screens. This leaves less time to read and makes it harder to sit down and focus for a long stretch of time. According to the centers for disease control and prevention, teens now spend an average of seven and a half hours a day on screens for entertainment, while kids ages 8 to 12 log nearly five hours daily, not counting schoolwork.

On the upside, some states are taking a proactive approach to teaching reading in order to turn things around. Research shows that teaching letters and sounds in precise, logical sequences at an early age like kindergarten and first grade can help boost spelling, fluency and understanding. For example, in Mississippi, schools are doing exactly this while also investing in extra teacher training and early intervention help for kids who seem to be struggling. The state, which used to rank near the bottom in reading scores, has now climbed to the top of early reading performance.

At the end of the day, falling behind in reading limits a student’s academic path and their success after high school. It also closes the door on an entirely different creative experience. Reading is an active way to step into other people’s perspectives and lifetimes. It helps us learn new things and stay curious about the world. Without it, these things vanish and we’re reliant on the passive role of watching screen after screen.