National test results place Milwaukee's reading scores among nation's worst
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- New national testing data paint a grim picture about the progress being made by some of Milwaukee's youngest students. The results of the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exam placed Milwaukee's 4th grade reading scores among the worst in the U.S.
Among Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) 4th graders who took the exam, only 27% tested at a basic reading level, and 9% graded out as proficient.
MPS is one of 27 large urban districts participating in a NAEP trial focusing on big city districts. 25 of those districts registered a score for 4th grade reading, and among them, only Detroit had a worse score than Milwaukee.
Compared to the last pre-pandemic test in 2019, Milwaukee had the biggest 4th grade reading decline among large urban districts.
Gabriel Velez, an associate professor of education at Marquette University, said the results were concerning, but he added Milwaukee also has one of the highest poverty rates among large school districts.
"We are ranked right there at the bottom on those scores, but we're ranked right there on the bottom of a lot of other things," he said. "So, I think it paints a broader picture of really needing something to change for our young people and our community."
In some ways, the NAEP testing paints a picture of two states when it comes to education. Statewide, Wisconsin's 8th grade math scores tied Massachusetts at the top of the list. Only Department of Defense schools had a better 8th grade math score.
The results also continued other troublesome trends. For decades, Wisconsin has had the nation's largest achievement gap between Black and White students, and that remained the case in 2024.
At an MPS board meeting Thursday night, Quinton Klabon, research director for the conservative Institute for Reforming Government, called for urgency in tackling the declining reading scores.
"English learner students from Houston, Chicago and Miami, whose native languages are not English, outscored Milwaukee's native English students," Klabon told the board. "17 states' special needs students outscored Milwaukee as a whole."
Velez said one sign of hope is a new state literacy law taking effect this summer. Act 20 requires schools to adopt a phonics-based 'Science of Reading' curriculum for literacy instruction.
"I do think that we're gonna see improvements just from that step," he said. "Because it is really much more research and evidence-based."
The MPS board on Thursday passed a resolution adding four early release days to the district's calendar. The move will open up more time for teachers to be trained on the new reading method.
Board Vice President Jilly Gokalgandhi, who authored the resolution, amended it to include the early release days after blowback from the city's teachers union, the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association (MTEA).
Critics question whether the move shows enough urgency in adopting the new reading standard, but union officials said the initial plan would've seen training cut into teachers' prep time. MTEA members were satisfied with the amended resolution, applauding its passage in the auditorium.
William Pickard, a senior at Hamilton High School, was among about a dozen students sitting together during the board meeting. Pickard said he was aware of the poor test scores but added he still admires his teachers and was proud to be an MPS student.
"I see teachers every day who work with too little resources, with oversized classrooms still get done what they get done and still teach a good class," he said. "And that's why I love MPS, and that's why even though MPS has its problems, I will never openly talk bad about MPS."