The recent release of the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results brought unwelcome news: Maine’s math scores have not significantly improved since the lows of 2022, and reading scores continue to fall. The number of students scoring proficient or advanced on the test has been declining since 2013.
On the same day the NAEP results were released, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) scheduled a presentation of its “Measure What Matters” report. That project argues that test scores are just one data point and that Maine should measure school success based on how equitable and inclusive schools are, how socially and emotionally intelligent students are and how student- and community-centered the educational experience is, among other non-academic measures.
It’s no coincidence that the Measure What Matters presentation was scheduled on the same day the NAEP results were released. Briefing the NAEP results to the Legislature’s Education and Cultural Affairs committee one week later, the DOE repeatedly referenced Measure What Matters to deflect from bipartisan criticism that test scores have fallen under its watch.
If Maine continues prioritizing subjective, social-emotional learning metrics over objective measures of academic success, students, not DOE bureaucrats, will pay the price.
Click here to read the full op-ed in the Portland Press Herald.