The Department of Education is facing significant cuts from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), leading to the cancellation of the 12th-grade National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the removal of its top official.
NAEP, also known as the Nation’s Report Card, is the most comprehensive assessment of U.S. student performance, offering cross-state comparisons and decades of trend data. While fourth and eighth-grade testing remains, the 2025 exam for 17-year-olds has been scrapped.
“NAEP is a critical tool for transparency and informing education policy decisions,” said Auditi Chakravarty, CEO of the Advanced Education Research and Development Fund. However, Deputy Assistant Secretary Madi Biedermann defended the move, stating, “The cancellation of the Long-Term Trend assessment is not unprecedented.”
Meanwhile, student test scores continue to decline. NAEP results show reading scores at their lowest in decades, with math performance lagging behind pre-pandemic levels. Critics warn the cuts will weaken education oversight and limit efforts to close achievement gaps.
Sources:
Discover more from News Facts Network
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
