Kids face a ‘reading recession’ as test scores continue to plummet across the US

Nypost · 🇮🇳 public India · May 13, 2026 · 1274 words · By Associated Press

Educational Reform Science of Reading Post-Pandemic Recovery

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Kids face a ‘reading recession’ as test scores continue to plummet across the US MODESTO, Calif.

Claims checked 18

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center88%

Right12%

8 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Kids face a ‘reading recession’ as test scores continue to plummet across the US MODESTO, Calif.

Why it matters

— Before every important test, teacher Nancy Barajas dims the lights, turns on a disco ball and blasts music from her playlist.

Common ground

Her sixth graders dance together as a “pre-celebration” to boost their confidence, then take their exam.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Educational Reform story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that reading test scores have been falling since 2013 for eighth graders and 2015 for fourth graders, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress?
How does this story connect Educational Reform with Science of Reading over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/13/lifestyle/kids-face-a-reading-recession-as-test-sc…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 18 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 8

info Single Source 5

check_circle Corroborated 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

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Claim 1: “reading test scores have been falling since 2013 for eighth graders and 2015 for fourth graders, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources reference NAEP (Nation's Report Card) data showing declines in reading scores for 4th and 8th graders, specifically mentioning the 2013-2015 window.

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web search NEUTRAL — Understanding 12th grade NAEP math and reading results On the 12th-grade NAEP assessments, average math and reading scores dropped 3 points since 2019. In both subjects, scores declined across all per…
https://www.nagb.gov/news-and-events/news-releases/2025/decl…

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web search NEUTRAL — The National Assessment for Educational Progress results show a dispiriting and growing gap between students who are academic stand-outs and those who struggle. Reading scores also fell. But fourth gr…
https://www.chalkbeat.org/2025/01/29/naep-reading-scores-dec…

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web search NEUTRAL — Average math and reading scores declined from 2013 to 2015, according to a report released Wednesday known as the Nation's Report Card. After years of tumultuous change in the country's K-12 education…
https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/10/28/student-scor…

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Claim 2: “Nationally, students remain nearly half a grade level behind pre-pandemic reading scores and only slightly better in math.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (Chalkbeat, a 'deep dive' report, and another report) confirm that students remain approximately half a grade level behind pre-pandemic reading scores with modest/slight improvement in math.

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web search NEUTRAL — Declines in reading scores started before the pandemic. But some school districts are helping students make progress with targeted support and science-of-reading-based instruction.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/2026/05/13/education-scorecard-sho…

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web search NEUTRAL — U.S. students were still nearly half a grade level behind in both math and reading in the spring of 2024, compared with achievement levels before the pandemic.
https://www.mtpr.org/2025-02-11/a-deep-dive-on-u-s-reading-a…

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web search NEUTRAL — Nationwide, students remain significantly behind pre-pandemic reading levels, while math scores have shown only modest improvement.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/general/most-students-lag-ha…

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Claim 3: “The lawsuit ended in a settlement of over $94 million”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 4: “Scholars at Harvard, Stanford and Dartmouth analyzed state test scores from third to eighth grade for over 5,000 school districts in 38 states”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim is explicitly stated in a syracuse.com article. While other results mention Harvard or test statistics, they do not corroborate this specific study's parameters (5,000 districts, 38 states).

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web search NEUTRAL — only 11% of candidates achieving a band score over 7.0.
https://ielts.org/researchers/our-research/test-statistics

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web search NEUTRAL — Scholars at Harvard, Stanford and Dartmouth analyzed state test scores from third to eighth grade for over 5,000 school districts in 38 states, allowing comparisons across school districts and states …
https://www.syracuse.com/us-news/2026/05/kids-are-in-a-readi…

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web search NEUTRAL — About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ6kKpekbX8

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Claim 5: “Some states, including Florida, Arizona and Nebraska, changed parts of their reading instruction but still saw test scores fall.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm or deny the reading instruction changes and subsequent score drops in Florida, Arizona, and Nebraska.

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Claim 6: “Schools [in Modesto] ramped up teacher training, paying educators $5,000 to complete an extensive “science of reading” program called LETRS”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 7: “Both reading and math scores have increased consistently over the past several years [in elementary schools in Modesto, California].”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided web search results for this claim are about schools in Olympia, WA, and do not contain any data regarding reading or math scores for elementary schools in Modesto, California.

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web search NEUTRAL — Statistics on all public and private elementary schools in Olympia, WA to help choose the best school or research. Contact info for Olympia, WA elementary schools is included.
https://elementaryschools.org/directory/wa/cities/olympia/

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web search NEUTRAL — Home - South Bay is an elementary school serving grades kindergarten through 5th in Thurston County.
https://southbay.ntps.org/

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web search NEUTRAL — Contact Us Madison Elementary School 1225 Legion Way SE Olympia, WA 98501 Office: (360) 596-6300 Fax: (360) 596-6301 Attendance: (360) 596-6303 lioncubs@osd.wednet.edu
https://madison.osd.wednet.edu/

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Claim 8: “Alabama had standout gains in reading following the pandemic, driven by a state law requiring every school to use phonics-based instruction.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 9: “Louisiana, Maryland, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana... ordered schools to teach with a phonics-based approach known as the “ science of reading.””

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to confirm or deny the mandates in these specific states.

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Claim 10: “the large urban district [Detroit] struggled with deplorable school conditions, leading to a 2016 lawsuit in which students argued they’d been denied the “right to read.””

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 11: “Almost every state in the analysis saw improvements in math test scores from 2022 to 2025.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim that almost every state saw math improvements from 2022 to 2025 is reported by CNN. Other results mention Texas math scores improving but are not the same analysis.

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web search NEUTRAL — Almost every state in the analysis saw improvements in math test scores from 2022 to 2025. Student absenteeism also declined in most states. In over 400 US school districts, including Modesto, reading…
https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/13/us/reading-recession-students…

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web search NEUTRAL — Researchers compared state test results with national assessment data to evaluate post-pandemic academic performance at local districts.While post-pandemic math scores are improving across Texas, they…
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/educatio…

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web search NEUTRAL — Get our SAT Math Practice Test questions. Learn more about the SAT test.
https://www.mometrix.com/academy/sat-math-practice-test/

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Claim 12: “In over 400 US school districts, including Modesto, reading or math growth outpaced demographically similar districts in the same state.”

CORROBORATED

This specific claim regarding 400 districts including Modesto is reported by three independent news sources: CBS News, Chalkbeat (via 'Some districts make progress...'), and another news source discussing California students.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Florence Owens Thompson (born Florence Leona Christie; September 1, 1903 – September 16, 1983) was an American woman who was the subject of Dorothea Lange's photograph Migrant Mother (1936), considere…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Owens_Thompson

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Stanislaus County ( STAN-iss-law(ss); Spanish: Condado de Estanislao) is a county located in the San Joaquin Valley of the U.S. state of California. As of 2025, its estimated population is 557,719. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislaus_County,_California

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching 3,019 miles (4,859 km) from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_50

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 13: “The state’s Numeracy Act standardized math instruction, required regular testing and mandated intervention for kids who lacked adequate math skills.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 14: “Louisiana is also the only state that beat its pre-pandemic average in reading, with 87% of traditional public school students attending a district where scores are higher than in 2019.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 15: “Student absenteeism also declined in most states.”

SINGLE SOURCE

This claim is mentioned in the CNN article. The other search results for 'student' are dictionary definitions or portal links and provide no evidence regarding absenteeism trends.

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web search NEUTRAL — In the U.S., a Junior is a student in the penultimate (usually third) year and a Senior is a student in the last (usually fourth) year of college, university, or high school.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Student

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web search NEUTRAL — Q Student Connection will provide you access to your class assignments, academic history, assessment scores, report cards, etc. This portal is available to all FUSD K-12 students with a computer accou…
https://sis.fusd.net/StudentPortal

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web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of STUDENT is scholar, learner; especially : one who attends a school. How to use student in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/student

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Claim 16: “Louisiana and Alabama were the only states where math scores were higher in 2025 than pre-pandemic.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 17: “Only five states plus the District of Columbia had meaningful growth in reading test scores from 2022 to 2025.”

SINGLE SOURCE

This specific statistic (five states plus DC) is reported by CNN. Other search results are general information about DC or US states and do not provide data on reading test growth.

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web search NEUTRAL — Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia and commonly known as simply Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district[a] of the United States. The city is on the Potomac Rive…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C.

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web search NEUTRAL — What they found was sobering: Only five states plus the District of Columbia had meaningful growth in reading test scores from 2022 to 2025.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/13/us/reading-recession-students…

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web search NEUTRAL — The USA, which is a country in North America, comprises of states and capitals, currently has 50 active states, and each State in the U.S has its own capital. In this article, we have ranked below all…
https://kenyanmagazine.co.ke/all-50-us-states-and-their-capi…

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Claim 18: “Modesto’s test scores grew enough to represent an extra 18 weeks of learning in math and 13 weeks in reading.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.