‘Literacy emergency’: Delaware eighth-grade reading scores drop to 27-year low

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This story was supported by a statehouse coverage grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer declared a “literacy emergency” after national test scores revealed eighth grade reading scores in the First State hit a 27-year low in 2024. The overall results were a mixed bag, with one bright spot being post-COVID-19 gains for fourth graders in math.

The 2024 results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation’s Report Card, show students across the country are struggling in reading. Delaware kids are performing lower on average in reading for both fourth and eighth grades than the national average. The average score of fourth-grade students in Delaware last year was 210, compared to the national average of 214. The average for eighth graders in Delaware was 249, which was lower than the national average score of 257.

Last year, 45% of Delaware fourth grade students scored below basic reading levels on the NAEP test, which is 2 percentage points better than the results in 1998 and 2022, which were 47% for both years. The percentage of students scoring at the basic level in 2024 was 29%, while it was 31% in 1998. Proficiency was 20% last year, 2 percentage points higher than in 1998. Six percent of students rated advanced, compared with 5% in 1998.

In 2024, 41% of Delaware eighth graders scored below basic proficiency in reading, five percentage points worse than 1998, when 36% performed below basic proficiency. State scores also lagged behind nationwide percentages for basic, proficiency and advanced proficiency.

Peggy Carr, associate commissioner of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, said it appeared to be an issue of reading comprehension, reading with understanding and being able to make inferences across the text.

“Your [state’s] children and your most struggling readers look like they are scoring comparable to struggling readers — or lower to be quite honest —- than struggling readers did 30 years ago,” she said.

Carr said they have been spreading the word to states across the country that the problem with students struggling to read started years before the pandemic.

“It clearly was exacerbated by the pandemic, but it is not a pandemic story, or it’s not just a pandemic story,” she said. “We started to notice the biggest drop in reading was from 2017 to 2019. Again, that was the national drop, but we saw it for many states as well.”

“Today marks a turning point for Delaware,” Meyer said in a statement. “We have a literacy emergency, and it is time for shared accountability and unwavering support for every child.”

Newly-confirmed Delaware Education Secretary Cynthia Marten has experience as a literacy specialist as part of her 34 years in education. She previously served in President Joe Biden’s administration.

“These results are a warning light on the dashboard of our education system—a warning we cannot afford to ignore,” Marten said in a statement. “Now is the time for focused action, support for our educators, and a commitment to the strategies that will drive real progress for our students.”

Math proficiency shows mixed results

The state’s fourth grade students improved their average Math scores on the nation’s report card by 7 points from 2022. While the percentage of students who scored below basic went to 29% from 36%, it was still a far cry from the 19% score students achieved in 2003. Nearly 50% of eighth grade students last year scored below basic, which was stagnant with 2022 percentages and up 17 percentage points from 2003.

Carr pointed to the fourth grade mMath scores as a positive sign in the report.

Delaware continues to see disparities in performance among students of color, students with disabilities and those who are economically challenged. Carr said the test results for these groups reflect a more complex picture.

“All of your [state’s] students seem to have done well at the subgroup level for grade four mathematics. That’s a pattern that is true of grade four mathematics, but is not true of grade eight mathematics, nor is it true for your reading scores for grade four,”’ she said. “In fact, for grade eight, some of your subgroups are declining significantly, such as your economically disadvantaged, your students with disabilities, and your male students. So there’s not a one-size-fits-all answer.”

Funding solutions still in question

Delaware’s Public Education Funding Commission is currently debating how to address systemic inequities in the state’s funding formula. They are scheduled to provide preliminary recommendations by October and final recommendations by July 2026.

Delaware settled claims that it was failing disadvantaged students about five years ago. A report by American Institutes for Research, a nonprofit research organization, said the state should invest up to $1 billion into public education and consider moving to a foundation formula instead of the current unit formula system.