Georgia students’ NAEP performance follows national trend

Georgia students’ 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores were in line with the national average.

“Georgia students continue to recover from the pandemic,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “Multiple data points indicate we are moving in the right direction, but more work is needed. With the implementation of the new math standards, we have seen across-the-board increases in Georgia Milestones Assessment scores, and we expect NAEP math scores to increase over time. We can work toward increased NAEP reading scores by expanding full-time school-level literacy coaches with a strong background in structured literacy and the science of reading.”

Georgia’s NAEP Performance

In fourth-grade reading, Georgia students’ average score was identical to the national average, and the fourth-grade math score for Georgia was not significantly different from the national public's. However, Georgia students’ average score was two points higher in eighth-grade reading and three points lower in eighth-grade math. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which administers NAEP, both of these differences are considered “significantly different.”

Average Scale Score

*statistically different from the results for the national public

In all subject areas (fourth-grade reading and math and eighth-grade reading and math), NCES did not consider Georgia students’ average scale scores and the percentages of students performing at or above NAEP Basic and NAEP Proficient levels to be “significantly different” compared to 2022. “Not significantly different” is a statistical calculation done by NCES, not the Georgia Department of Education. 

¹The At or Above Proficiency percentage for fourth-grade reading students in Georgia is only statistically lower than four states/jurisdictions – DoDEA, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Connecticut

²The At or Above Proficiency percentage for fourth-grade math students in Georgia is only statistically lower than six states/jurisdictions – DoDEA, Massachusetts, Wyoming, Utah, Florida, and Minnesota

³The At or Above Proficiency percentage for eighth-grade reading students in Georgia is only statistically lower than three states/jurisdictions – DoDEA, Massachusetts, and New Jersey

About NAEP

NAEP, often referred to as the “Nation’s Report Card,” is a nationally representative assessment administered every two years to a sample of fourth and eighth graders from a sample of schools across each state. Each state’s student sample is representative of its state demographics. 

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, which administers the NAEP, the NAEP Proficient achievement level “does not represent grade-level proficiency as determined by other assessment standards. NAEP Proficient means a student “demonstrates solid academic performance and competency over challenging subject matter.”