NAEP 2024 Scores Confirm the Need for High-Impact Tutoring

The 2024 NAEP results are in, and the message is clear: students have not yet recovered from pandemic-related learning loss. While some states are beginning to show progress, the equity gap between higher- and lower-performing students is growing.

The good news? We know what works. Research has consistently demonstrated that high-impact tutoring is one of the most effective interventions available. But it has not been implemented at the scale necessary to drive widespread recovery.

NAEP Scores Confirm the Urgency to Act

The latest Nation’s Report Card reveals alarming trends:

• National scores remain below pre-pandemic levels across all tested grades and subjects.

• Reading scores declined in both 4th and 8th grades, with no state showing improvement since 2022.

• 4th-grade math scores showed modest gains, but only in select states.

• The achievement gap is growing as higher-performing students rebound while lower-performing students continue to struggle.

These trends make one thing clear: without intentional, research-backed intervention, students who are already behind will continue to slip further behind.

~NAEP: The Nation's Report Card

NEA: High-Impact Tutoring Is the Solution—But It Must Be Scaled

The National Education Association (NEA) reinforced what the research confirms: high-impact tutoring is one of the most effective tools available to accelerate student learning.

According to the NEA:

• High-impact tutoring is up to 20 times more effective than standard models for math and 15 times more effective for reading.

• Just 20 sessions can result in an additional 3 to 15 months of learning gains.

• Yet, most districts have not implemented high-impact tutoring at the scale required to drive meaningful change.

The U.S. Department of Education has identified high-impact tutoring as a best-practice model and has urged states and districts to use available funding to support its expansion. The data is clear—tutoring works, but only when it reaches enough students.

Louisiana: A Model for Success

While many states continue to struggle, Louisiana stands out as an example of what’s possible when tutoring is prioritized. In 2024, Louisiana was one of the few states to increase its 4th-grade math scores to pre-pandemic levels.

This success was, in part, the result of a deliberate and well-funded commitment to high-impact tutoring. In 2021, Louisiana launched Accelerate, a statewide initiative designed to provide structured tutoring in math and literacy for all grade levels. Key components included:

• Sustained funding from both state grants and federal ESSER dollars to ensure continuity.

• Integration into the school day, rather than an optional after-school program.

• Mandatory tutoring for intervention schools, ensuring students most in need received structured support.

Additionally, Louisiana introduced the Steve Carter Literacy Tutoring Program, which provides $1,000 tutoring vouchers for families of K-5 students scoring below proficiency levels in literacy.

The outcome? Louisiana is one of the only states to have surpassed pre-pandemic 4th-grade math scores, proving that targeted, high-impact tutoring can drive real academic improvement.

The Growing Equity Gap Requires Immediate Action

According to the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), one of the most urgent takeaways from the NAEP results is the "widening divide between higher and lower performing students. "

• Higher-performing students are making gains while lower-performing students continue to struggle.

• In 8th-grade math, lower-performing students actually declined further in 2024.

• One-third of 8th graders are not reading at the NAEP Basic level—the highest recorded percentage.

This should serve as a wake-up call. Without intervention, struggling students will continue to fall further behind, limiting their future opportunities.

Scaling High-Impact Tutoring: The Moment for Action Is Now

The NAEP results confirm what the NEA warned against: not enough students are receiving structured, research-based support.

Districts that fail to act risk seeing learning gaps grow wider. But those that invest in scaling research-backed tutoring now will see real, measurable progress—not just in national assessments but also in their own state assessments this spring.

Next Steps for District Leaders:

• Leverage available funding sources (Title I, state grants, and other federal programs) to scale high-impact tutoring.

• Look at successful models, like Louisiana’s Accelerate program, for effective implementation strategies.

• Ensure tutoring programs follow high-impact principles—structured, small-group, consistent, and data-driven.

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