WASHINGTON – The Institute of Education Sciences today released the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), commonly referred to as the “Nation’s Report Card”. U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos issued the following statement in response:

“The report card is in, and the results are clear: We can and we must do better for America’s students. Our nation’s reading and math scores continue to stagnate. More alarmingly, the gap between the highest and lowest performing students is widening, despite billions in Federal funding designated specifically to help close it.

“One bright spot in today’s report is Florida, where Sunshine State students are bucking the national trend, showing significant improvement in 4th and 8th grade math and in 8th grade reading. Both low and high performers in Florida demonstrated that improvement, again bucking the national trend and narrowing the achievement gap.

“Florida leaders, administrators, and, most importantly, teachers are to be commended for their continued efforts on behalf of students. Florida has been at the forefront of bold, comprehensive education reform for decades. From accountability, to literacy, to teacher certification and recognition, to providing parents more freedom to select the learning environment that best fits their students’ needs, Florida is rethinking education.

“Florida’s results show what is possible when we focus on individual students. This Administration is committed to working with States and communities across our country to bring about the much-needed change our students deserve.

“Many thanks to the professional staff at the National Center for Education Statistics and the members of the National Assessment Governing Board for their work and for their commitment to continually improving NAEP.”