Reading Skills Report

 A national report shows that reading skills are rebounding for young learners, with most students in grades K-3 on track to read at grade level by the end of the school year. The report also shows faster-than-average improvement among students who are Black and Hispanic. For the first time since 2019-20, the majority of students in every grade, from K-3, are on track to tackle grade-level reading by the end of the year—though no grade has yet matched its pre-pandemic performance levels.

Amplify. (2023). Middle-of-year data show that academic recovery continues in early literacy, with Black and Hispanic students making the greatest gains. Amplify.

https://amplify.com/news/latest-school-assessment-data-show-continued-academic-recovery-in-early-literacy-with-black-and-hispanic-students-making-the-greatest-gains/

Data Literacy Downward Trend Report

 Students’ data analysis skills have dropped, and teachers say they’re putting less emphasis on the subject, a new analysis finds—even as workforce demand for data-literate employees continues to rise. The data was derived from the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress. Scores in this subset of the NAEP math test dropped 10 scale score points for 8th graders and four points for 4th graders. The declines were larger for students from low-income families. The downward trend started before the pandemic, but math scores overall dropped during and since that time.

Drozda, Z. (2023). Data science is vital to student success: So why are outcomes going down? Data Science4Everyone. 

https://www.datascience4everyone.org/post/data-science-is-vital-to-student-success-so-why-are-outcomes-going-down

Politics and School Libraries Study

 

A national study of school libraries found that most school libraries have some controversial titles, but the collection reflects local politics and policy makers. There continues to be a gap  in library resources between schools in low- and high-income communities, which may affect students in ways not reflected in test scores, including by exposing children to stories that expand their horizons or affirm their lived experiences.  

Mumma, K. (2023). Politics and children's books: Evidence from school library collections. Boston College. https://wheelockpolicycenter.org/high-quality-education/school-libraries/

Popular apps and devices survey

 YouTube was the most common app used on a weekly basis by 4th-12th graders and for 9th-12th graders, email was the second most common app, according to a survey issued by The Social Institute, a company that provides curriculum addressing social-emotional learning, social media and technology. The survey, which included responses from nearly 23,000 students in U.S. public and private schools, found school-issued devices, TVs and smartphones are the most popular devices used by students on a weekly basis.

23 insights for 2023 on how students navigate well-being, social media and tech. Social Institute. https://thesocialinstitute.com/insight/report-23-insights-for-2023-on-how-students-navigate-well-being-social-media-and-tech/.