40% of 4th graders cannot read in 2026

[Anonymous]

Math proficiency scores also dropped. The decline began with the widespread use of tech in schools, around 2012-2013. Of course scores dropped more sharply for reading and math because of Covid, but the decline began well before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is a simple search.

Fact check it for yourself (I did):

“In 2024, around 40 percent of fourth graders were reported to be below the NAEP Basic level in reading, which indicates they likely cannot recognize basic elements of a story. Additionally, more than two-thirds of fourth graders, approximately 69 percent, were reading below proficiency levels.
nagb.gov

Link? With actual data?

Here you go:

https://www.nagb.gov/news-and-events/news-releases/2025/nations-report-card-decline-in-reading-progress-in-math.html

https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reports/reading/2024/g4_8/?grade=4

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Math proficiency scores also dropped. The decline began with the widespread use of tech in schools, around 2012-2013. Of course scores dropped more sharply for reading and math because of Covid, but the decline began well before.

And by tech, I don't mean pencils, macbook computers, smart boards, or even Chromebook usage among 7th-12th graders. I'm talking about iPads in K-2, ubiquitous wireless internet in all classrooms and school spaces K-12, and "learning apps" aimed toward preK and elementary school learners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sigh.

Do you always believe everything on the internet? No wonder there are so many extremist believers these days.

. . .

You keep making these unsupported, baseless claims, PP. But you cannot post a cite or link to substantiate your claims.

Nothing you have spewed has refuted what is in the video, nor has it challenged the verified statement regarding 40% of 4th graders.

You can go back under your bridge now PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The irony of an OP who complains 4th graders can’t read who keeps insisting that people “watch the video.”

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lucy Calkins, balanced literacy, and whole language do not work to teach reading. Many states still allow those methods, but some states have made changes.

Sold a Story APM. Podcast - it explains the reasons for this disaster: money, money,money

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Math proficiency scores also dropped. The decline began with the widespread use of tech in schools, around 2012-2013. Of course scores dropped more sharply for reading and math because of Covid, but the decline began well before.

And by tech, I don't mean pencils, macbook computers, smart boards, or even Chromebook usage among 7th-12th graders. I'm talking about iPads in K-2, ubiquitous wireless internet in all classrooms and school spaces K-12, and "learning apps" aimed toward preK and elementary school learners.

If the students in the lower grades are only using Chrome books that would be a problem. A Chrome supplement in addition to math classes using paper and pencil are helpful.

[Anonymous]

It’s true.

“Historic lows”

https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Living/us-students-reading-math-scores-historic-lows-devastating/story?id=125392421

“New lows”

https://www.edweek.org/leadership/reading-scores-fall-to-new-low-on-naep-fueled-by-declines-for-struggling-students/2025/01

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hmm. It's interesting the number of posters on this thread, some of whom claim to be gifted, who just implicitly believe the OP and her YouTube video.

Anytime you see a shocking title on a video, you've got to assume the truth is more nuanced and there's more to the story. Internet Literacy 101.

It's not just decoding that's important, it's critical thinking. Something that a lot of adults apparently haven't quite mastered yet...

I believe you are an AI bot, PP. - possibly a foreign based AI bot. This is your second dismissive reply here, which has no substance, but only a general criticism of the entirety of YouTube.

You failed to acknowledge or address the reliability and reliance on the longstanding statistical analysis from the compiled NEAP (referenced several times in the video, which I suspect you did not watch prior to your dismissal).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Assessment_of_Educational_Progress#Long-term_trend


Please go away. And don’t come back. Your attitude is a large part of the problem.

NP. I am neither foreign nor a bot, but also am skeptical of OP's youtube clickbait post. Cite an actual study that shows us that 40% of 4th graders can not read that defines what you mean by "can not read" (does that mean can not read according to state level standards of proficiency for a particular grade? or that a 4th grader literally can not read the word "cat" or "rat."

These questions are answered in the video. You don't even have to watch all 14 minutes, because what you're talking about is answered by the third minute. The data being used is also mentioned several times in this thread, including in the comment to which you responded. You're "skeptical" of a claim you seem to have made zero effort to understand.

Since you enjoy watching Youtube (and I don't, because it contains all sorts of garbage), feel free to link to the legitimate sources cited in the video. If they're legitimate research studies, I would be happy to read them and better understand the accuracy of your claim that "40% of 4th graders can't read"

DYOR. Look for sources yourself. You can do that right? If you have a problem with 40% you find a source that says otherwise

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Math proficiency scores also dropped. The decline began with the widespread use of tech in schools, around 2012-2013. Of course scores dropped more sharply for reading and math because of Covid, but the decline began well before.

And by tech, I don't mean pencils, macbook computers, smart boards, or even Chromebook usage among 7th-12th graders. I'm talking about iPads in K-2, ubiquitous wireless internet in all classrooms and school spaces K-12, and "learning apps" aimed toward preK and elementary school learners.

If the students in the lower grades are only using Chrome books that would be a problem. A Chrome supplement in addition to math classes using paper and pencil are helpful.

https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/A19DF2E8-3C69-4193-A676-430CF0C83DC2

There is a DIRECT relationship between increased tech use and decreases in cognition.
You need to know how the brain works to teach it properly. And tech is not it.

Tech is too distracting.

[Anonymous]

From the link above:
Human attention systems evolved to sustain focus on a single task at a time. The prefrontal
control system cannot reliably manage competing goal states without significant
performance costs13. When attention is repeatedly interrupted, three predictable costs
emerge:
1. Time loss from task switching overhead14.
2. Higher error rates from cognitive interference15.
3. Weaker memory formation as learning shifts from deep encoding toward
habit-based processing16.
Digital platforms are optimized for rapid switching, novelty, and continuous engagement
capture. Even when used for academic tasks, they cue the same behavioral patterns
students practice during recreational screen use: frequent checking, rapid scrolling, and
multitasking.
As a result, screens structurally train attentional habits that conflict with sustained learning.
This is not a matter of discipline or willpower; it is a function of repeated conditioning.

[Anonymous]

The majority of public school students in this country are living in poverty. That combined with excessive screen time and lack of parenting makes the perfect storm on barely making it. High rates of absenteeism and lack of consequences in school for poor behavior. All of it makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The majority of public school students in this country are living in poverty. That combined with excessive screen time and lack of parenting makes the perfect storm on barely making it. High rates of absenteeism and lack of consequences in school for poor behavior. All of it makes sense.

Mississippi would like a word:

Kids' reading scores have soared in Mississippi 'miracle'

Mississippi went from being ranked the second-worst state in 2013 for fourth-grade reading to 21st in 2022. Louisiana and Alabama, meanwhile, were among only three states to see modest gains in fourth-grade reading during the pandemic, which saw massive learning setbacks in most other states.

The turnaround in these three states has grabbed the attention of educators nationally, showing rapid progress is possible anywhere, even in areas that have struggled for decades with poverty and dismal literacy rates. The states have passed laws adopting similar reforms that emphasize phonics and early screenings for struggling kids.

"In this region, we have decided to go big," said Burk, now a senior policy fellow at ExcelinEd, a national advocacy group.

These Deep South states were not the first to pass major literacy laws; in fact, much of Mississippi's legislation was based on a 2002 law in Florida that saw the Sunshine State achieve some of the country's highest reading scores. The states also still have far to go to make sure every child can read.

But the country has taken notice of what some have called the Mississippi miracle. Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky and Virginia are among the states that have recently adopted some of the same policies. As Mississippi climbed the rankings, the Barksdale Institute, an influential organization in literacy policy in the state, got phone calls from about two dozen states.

The institute's CEO, Kelly Butler, said she tells them there's no secret to the strategy.

"We know how to teach reading," she said. "We just have to do it everywhere."

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/kids-reading-scores-have-soared-in-mississippi-miracle

[Anonymous]

Where? In a red state no doubt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The majority of public school students in this country are living in poverty. That combined with excessive screen time and lack of parenting makes the perfect storm on barely making it. High rates of absenteeism and lack of consequences in school for poor behavior. All of it makes sense.

Mississippi would like a word:

Kids' reading scores have soared in Mississippi 'miracle'

Mississippi went from being ranked the second-worst state in 2013 for fourth-grade reading to 21st in 2022. Louisiana and Alabama, meanwhile, were among only three states to see modest gains in fourth-grade reading during the pandemic, which saw massive learning setbacks in most other states.

The turnaround in these three states has grabbed the attention of educators nationally, showing rapid progress is possible anywhere, even in areas that have struggled for decades with poverty and dismal literacy rates. The states have passed laws adopting similar reforms that emphasize phonics and early screenings for struggling kids.

"In this region, we have decided to go big," said Burk, now a senior policy fellow at ExcelinEd, a national advocacy group.

These Deep South states were not the first to pass major literacy laws; in fact, much of Mississippi's legislation was based on a 2002 law in Florida that saw the Sunshine State achieve some of the country's highest reading scores. The states also still have far to go to make sure every child can read.

But the country has taken notice of what some have called the Mississippi miracle. Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky and Virginia are among the states that have recently adopted some of the same policies. As Mississippi climbed the rankings, the Barksdale Institute, an influential organization in literacy policy in the state, got phone calls from about two dozen states.

The institute's CEO, Kelly Butler, said she tells them there's no secret to the strategy.

"We know how to teach reading," she said. "We just have to do it everywhere."

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/kids-reading-scores-have-soared-in-mississippi-miracle

They’ve taught their students how to decode. That’s the easy part. Now they need to be able to comprehend what they’re reading. It’s a whole other ballgame for kids in poverty with few life experiences.