Normalize Excellence: Neither Mediocrity Nor Decline is Destiny

Normalize Excellence: Neither Mediocrity Nor Decline is Destiny

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results show a grim picture of academic loss. Between January and March 2024, 19,300 12th graders from 1,500 schools across the country were tested on mathematics. Among them, only 22% achieved math proficiency. During the same period, over 24,300 high school seniors were assessed and a meager 35% could read at the grade level. Of the 114,600 eighth graders assessed for reading, 30% performe…