HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — 4th grader Alexander Bane said reading is great if you find the right book.
“I can read for hours and you completely think 'oh I thought it was 20 minutes,'” he said.
His passion makes you want to pick up a book.
“It’s so interesting. It’s like going in a whole other world. You can feel what it’s like to be a different character.”
It’s that kind of attitude about reading that may have helped 4th graders around Hillsborough County top the nation in the latest National Assessment of Education Progress.
The organization, known as NAPE, involves 26 large urban school districts around the nation.
Hillsborough County 4th graders ranked #1 in reading and math.
“It has been a really difficult few years and we have done so much. Social. Emotional. Making sure that children feel good and feel safe. And to see that on top of that students are doing well academically and here we are ranked number one in the nation shows how much it’s taken our schools. Our teachers. Our faculty. Our peer professionals. Our bus drivers. Everybody working together,” said school board chairperson Nadia Combs.
Overall, NAPE testing results show historic drops in America post-pandemic and widening racial disparities.
Math scores saw the largest decreases ever, and reading is way down too while Hillsborough’s 4th graders are top.
The other grade tested, 8th grade, ranked 3rd in reading and 7th in math.
“This is an eye-opener for us as a nation. It very clearly identifies that the pandemic has had an impact on our learns and learning at scale. While we really maintain and accelerate in other areas,” said Superintendent Addison Davis.
The district said Hillsborough students fared better than most other districts during the pandemic because Florida schools opened back up sooner than many other places.
“I didn’t feel like I fell behind. I just felt like being in a school environment helped me stay more intact with the teachers and my learning,” said student Ashley Thompson.
While some education experts warned not to put too much stock in testing results, some said the learning loss effects could linger for years, and a nationwide effort is needed to recover.
To see all the test results, visit here.
