Louisiana was the only state to surpass pre-pandemic reading levels in the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress and the top education official in the state said he knows why.

The assessment, known as the Nation’s Report Card, was released Wednesday and found that U.S. fourth and eighth grade students are, on average, behind pre-pandemic levels in reading. The current average reading score for fourth and eighth graders is five points lower than in 2019, the exam shows.

However, Louisiana fourth graders separated themselves by being the only group to exceed their pre-pandemic performance. The students boasted an average score of 216 in reading in 2024, up six points from 2019.

The fourth graders’ score of 216 is also just over the national average of 214, the NAEP data shows.

Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley said Wednesday he is “not surprised at all” his state improved. He noted the results came as Louisiana works to “go back to the basics,” including by properly training teachers and being responsive to parent needs.

“I think the education system has been overcomplicated for too long,” Brumley said. “And we’re just trying to narrow the scope. Teach kids how to read, teach kids how to do math, teach kids to understand and appreciate the country where they live.”

Louisiana has enacted multiple education-related measures since the 2019 NAEP assessment. The state in 2021 passed Act 108, which requires teachers of K-3 students to complete an approved professional development course on the “science of reading.”

The Louisiana Department of Education describes the “science of reading” as “a vast, interdisciplinary body of scientifically-based research about reading and issues related to reading and writing.” The department advises that professional development courses on the topic include “understanding language structure for both word recognition and language comprehension” and “using validated, reliable, efficient assessments to inform classroom instruction.”

“Teaching children to read should not be complicated,” Brumley said. “If we go and we use a phonics-based approach, provide students with access to literature and enriched text, we can make progress.”

The state superintendent added Louisiana tracks its approach by conducting “screeners” during the year and notifying parents of the results. “Literacy screeners” help identify whether a student may be at risk of struggling with reading, the Louisiana Department of Education’s website says.

A state law that went into effect this academic year also requires third graders who are significantly behind in reading to repeat the grade level. Students are tested through end-of-the-year “screeners” and are given three separate chances to score above what the state considers the lowest achievement level before being held back.

“I think for too long social promotion has taken place, where kids have been passed from grade to grade and they truly weren’t prepared for content in the next grade level,” Brumley said. “So, we’re eliminating social promotion, recognizing that merit matters and making sure that kids are truly prepared to advance to the next grade level so they can handle that content.”

Louisiana fourth graders also boosted their average math score to four points higher than the pre-pandemic level, the data shows. The only state to best Louisiana in that category was Alabama, where fourth-graders improved by seven points from 2019, according to the results.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey celebrated the math results in a press briefing Wednesday, saying the state has made “smart, record investments” in students and ensured teachers and principals are “well-equipped.” She also pointed to the state’s 2022 Numeracy Act, which was established to increase math proficiency in K-5 students.

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