Comparing States’ Standards for Proficient Performance in Reading and Mathematics Grades 4 and 8

 

This Mapping Report Compares States’ Standards for Proficient Performance in Reading and Mathematics for Students in Grades 4 and 8 Using the National Assessment of Educational Progress Achievement Scales

In 2022, most state standards for proficient performance in reading and mathematics for grades 4 and 8 mapped at the NAEP Basic achievement level. The National Center for Education Statistics report, Mapping State Proficiency Standards onto the NAEP Scales: Results From the 2022 NAEP Reading and Mathematics Assessments, compared the NAEP scale scores equivalent to each state standard for proficient performance in grades 4 and 8 reading and mathematics. The results showed: In 2022, most state standards for proficient performance for both grades and subjects mapped at or above the NAEP Basic achievement level. For states with all three years of data in 2022, 2019, and 2013, the differences between the states with highest and lowest standards were larger in 2022 compared to 2019 in grade 4 reading and grade 8 mathematics, and smaller in grade 4 mathematics (no measurable difference in grade 8 reading across these years). In all grades and subjects (except grade 8 mathematics), the differences were smaller in 2022 than in 2013. The standard for proficient performance for the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium in both subjects and grades mapped at the NAEP Basic level. The report, the ninth in the series, used student achievement results from state and NAEP assessments administered in 2022. To view the full forthcoming report, please visit: https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/studies/statemapping/ The Data Tool will be updated soon to include the 2022 results.

Implementing Effective Mathematics Intervention Practices for Elementary Students

 

The Institute of Education Sciences released the Mathematics Intervention Toolkit to support educators in implementing the recommendations from the What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide Assisting Students Struggling with Mathematics: Intervention in the Elementary Grades. The toolkit helps educators and leaders address a pressing need to provide effective interventions for students struggling with mathematics in grades 3–6. The toolkit includes: A professional learning course with six modules to build educators’ knowledge and use of evidence-based mathematics intervention practices with students. The introductory module introduces the course and the practice guide’s recommendations. The next five modules each focus in depth on one recommendation: Mathematical Language, Representations, Number Lines, Word Problems, and Systematic Instruction. The modules include online learning sessions, professional learning community (PLC) sessions, classroom videos, strategy demonstration videos, and instructional routines. The participant workbooks include example strategies, practical teaching suggestions, activity handouts, and ready-to-use resources for classroom implementation. Facilitator resources to help district-based facilitators lead PLC sessions that engage teachers in learning about the recommendations, trying related strategies, preparing to use instructional routines, and sharing teaching experiences. The resources include comprehensive facilitator guides and slide decks with presenter notes. Resources for district mathematics leaders and other administrators to help them plan for and implement the professional learning modules with educators and support educators’ use of the recommended strategies with students. These comprehensive, high-quality resources support educators and leaders in learning about, planning, and implementing effective mathematics interventions for students to improve learning outcomes. To access the toolkit, please visit https://ies.ed.gov/regional-educational-laboratories-toolkits.

Teacher certification exams discriminate against minority candidates

This study uses Texas administrative data to assess the long-standing claim that teacher certification exams discriminate against underrepresented minority (URM) candidates. 

The authors find that failing a certification exam delays entry into teaching and costs the average candidate $10,000 in forgone earnings. These costs fall disproportionately on URM candidates both because they are more likely to fail and because their earnings losses from failing are 50 percent larger on average. 

To examine whether these disparities are justified by racial/ethnic differences in teaching quality, the researchers develop a new measure of disparate impact and estimate it using a policy change that increased the difficulty of Texas' elementary certification exam. The harder exam reduced the URM share of new teachers but had no significant benefits for teaching quality or student achievement. 

Taken together, the findings show that certification exams have a disparate impact in the sense that they impose much larger economic costs on URM teaching candidates than on white candidates with similar potential teaching quality.

Current levels of violence, harassment should classify schools as hazardous workplaces

 Violence and harassment in Canadian schools have reached such crisis levels that these public institutions should be categorized as hazardous workplaces, says a national report led by researchers at the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).

The report – Canadian Schools: A Hazardous Workplace – surveyed 4,000 education workers and summarized the findings from a national report in which both direct and indirect support staff reported on the frequency and impact of incidents of harassment and violence during the 2022–2023 school year.

The reported violence and harassment were overwhelmingly student-initiated, particularly toward direct student support staff and indirect workers. High rates of violence and harassment were also seen from parents, colleagues, and administrators.

“Education workers are being routinely exposed to levels of violence and psychological harm that equal those experienced by first responders,” said lead author Dr. Darcy Santor, professor of psychology at uOttawa. “Yet, unlike first responders, they often lack adequate protections, training, and access to mental health supports.”

Dr. Santor’s key findings include:

• 78% of education sector workers experienced at least one act, attempt or threat of physical violence.
• 84% experienced some 30 incidents of harassment per year on average.
• 26% reported PTSD-like symptoms
• Nearly 80% said workplace violence harmed their mental health.

One respondent said: “A colleague had her head struck against the wall by a student. She has experienced a traumatic brain injury. The impact it has had on me is a general, constant sense of fear for myself and others. I am always thinking about how I approach students, and I am always in fight or flight mode.”

The report found the workplace environment has gotten to a point where over 50 percent of respondents said they are ready to leave the profession if they could find comparable employment. Many said the stress followed them home, affecting their families, sleep, and overall quality of life, while others cited their experiences with violence and harassment as reasons for leaving the profession.

The report also documents widespread under-reporting of incidents and a lack of effective institutional responses, with fewer than one in five workers indicating that safety plans were consistently implemented following violent incidents.

The research team outlined recommendations, including improving and expanding how hazards are identified, more consistent and effective safety planning and reporting, and enhanced mental health supports.

The research was conducted by researchers in the School of Psychology and the Department of Criminology at the University of Ottawa and was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. The report – Canadian Schools: A Hazardous Workplace is available here.

Adolescent cannabis use linked to doubling risk of psychotic and bipolar disorders

 Adolescents who use cannabis could face a significantly higher risk of developing serious psychiatric disorders by young adulthood, according to a large new study published today in JAMA Health Forum. The longitudinal study followed 463,396 adolescents ages 13 to 17 through age 26 and found that past-year cannabis use during adolescence was associated with a significantly higher risk of incident psychotic (doubled), bipolar (doubled), depressive and anxiety disorders. The study was conducted by researchers from Kaiser Permanente, the Public Health Institute’s Getting it Right from the Start, the University of California, San Francisco and the University of Southern California, and was funded by a grant from NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA0531920).

The study analyzed electronic health record data from routine pediatric visits between 2016 and 2023. Cannabis use preceded psychiatric diagnoses by an average of 1.7 to 2.3 years. The study’s longitudinal design strengthens evidence that adolescent cannabis exposure is a potential risk factor for developing mental illness.

“As cannabis becomes more potent and aggressively marketed, this study indicates that adolescent cannabis use is associated with double the risk of incident psychotic and bipolar disorders, two of the most serious mental health conditions,” said Lynn Silver, M.D., program director of the Getting it Right from the Start, a program of the Public Health Institute, and a study co-author. “The evidence increasingly points to the need for an urgent public health response — one that reduces product potency, prioritizes prevention, limits youth exposure and marketing and treats adolescent cannabis use as a serious health issue, not a benign behavior.”

Cannabis is the most used illicit drug among U.S. adolescents. The Monitoring the Future study shows use rising with grade level — from about 8% in 8th grade to 26% in 12th grade — and according to the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more than 10% of all U.S. teens aged 12 to 17 report past-year use. At the same time, average THC levels in California cannabis flower now exceed 20%, far higher than in previous decades, and concentrates can exceed 95% THC.

Unlike many prior studies, the research examined any self-reported past-year cannabis use, with universal screening of teens during standard pediatric care, rather than focusing only on heavy use or cannabis use disorder.

“Even after accounting for prior mental health conditions and other substance use, adolescents who reported cannabis use had a substantially higher risk of developing psychiatric disorders — particularly psychotic and bipolar disorders,” said Kelly Young-Wolff, Ph.D., lead author of the study and senior research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research. “This study adds to the growing body of evidence that cannabis use during adolescence could have potentially detrimental, long-term health effects. It’s imperative that parents and their children have accurate, trusted, and evidence-based information about the risks of adolescent cannabis use.”  

 The study also found that cannabis use was more common among adolescents enrolled in Medicaid and those living in more socioeconomically deprived neighborhoods, raising concerns that expanding cannabis commercialization could exacerbate existing mental health disparities.

The Public Health Institute is an independent nonprofit organization that advances wellbeing and health equity with communities around the world. PHI develops research, leadership and partnerships to build strong public health policy, programs, systems and practices. For more information, visit www.phi.org.

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Journal

JAMA Health Forum

DOI

10.1001/jamahealthforum.2025.6839 

How to boost participation in physical activity among autistic youth

‘Physical activity programs can be created and maintained based on what autistic children and teenagers enjoy and do well instead of focusing on what they cannot do’

Researchers investigating how to increase participation in physical activity by autistic children and teens say key strategies include creating predictable routines, involving family members and ensuring safe and sensory-friendly spaces.

Those were among 95 “facilitators” yielded by their review of previously published research on the subject. Autistic youth are less physically active than their peers, who are already not physically active enough, the researchers said, noting that physical activity could be beneficial to their physical, social and emotional health.

In their work, the researchers took a strengths-based approach rather than focusing on a deficits-based one.

“This perspective reframes physical activity not as a challenge for autistic children and teenagers to overcome but as an opportunity for them to build confidence, enjoyment and social connection,” said Mathieu Michaud, a PhD student in kinesiology and co-author of the paper.

“This research has practical implications for families, educators, coaches and community organizations. For example, physical activity programs can be created and maintained based on what autistic children and teenagers enjoy and do well instead of focusing on what they cannot do,” Michaud said.

Mapped all available research

The work was conducted by the McGill Choices in Health, Action, Motivation, Pedagogy and Skills (CHAMPS) Physical Activity Lab, directed by professor William James Harvey, also a co-author of the paper.

The researchers systematically mapped all available research previously published on this topic using six major databases, screening nearly 20,000 entries and ultimately analyzing 43 studies that matched the inclusion criteria.

They then classified the 95 facilitators found during the review into six categories (based on a pre-established health promotion framework): individual, family, social, physical environment, institutions, as well as community and public policy.

Predictable routines, safe spaces

At the individual level, the review highlights how autistic children are more likely to participate in physical activity if they feel the movements required in the activity fit their skill set, or if it’s an activity they know well and takes the form of a game.

Other examples of positive factors, or facilitators, include supportive peers or good relationships with coaches at the social level, and after-school physical activity opportunities at the institutional level.

The team is already working on applying their research results in real-world settings by developing an intervention in which autistic teenagers select which factors matter most to them, information that then informs what activities are offered.

About the study

Facilitating Physical Activity Participation Among Autistic Children and Youth: A Scoping Review, by Mathieu Michaud and William J. Harvey, was published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

College students who spend hours on social media are more likely to be lonely

 More than half of college students are lonely – and those who use social media the most are particularly likely to feel isolated, a study of tens of thousands of 18 to 24-year-olds in the US shows.

Just 16 hours a week, or two or so hours a day, on social media was linked with higher odds of loneliness, a new peer-reviewed paper in the Journal of American College Health reports.

The study’s authors said that academic institutions should educate students on the effects of social media use and encourage them to set time limits.

Researcher Dr. Madelyn Hill, now an assistant professor at Ohio University, who led the study while completing her doctoral work in University of Cincinnati’s School of Human Services in spring 2025, explains: “We know that people who are lonely are more likely to become depressed. We also know that those who are lonely are more likely to die early.

“Young adulthood is a time of many changes, from leaving home for the first time, to starting college and forming new friendships, and it is vital that colleges and universities do all they can to help their students forge connections with others.”

Previous studies have found that Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat are young adults’ favourite social media sites.

Other work shows that excessive social media use can leave less time for face-to-face socialising. However, research on whether this leads to loneliness has produced mixed results.

To address this, Dr. Hill and colleagues analysed data 64,988 18 to 24-year-olds from more than 120 colleges who took part national survey.

Loneliness was measured by asking them how often they felt left out, lacked companionship or felt isolated.

The study found that:

• 54% of the students were lonely. This is in line with other recent research from the US.
• Female and Black students particularly to say they were lonely.
• Students doing hybrid courses were less lonely than those studying face to face, perhaps because they were still able to see their old friends.
• Members of fraternities and sororities were among the least likely to be lonely, maybe owing to more opportunities to attend parties and other gatherings.
• Those who lived at home were lonelier than those with accommodation on campus.

The students were also asked how many hours they spent on social media in a typical week.

About 13% of them used social media excessively i.e. for at least 16 hours a week and, the more they used it, the higher their odds of feeling lonely.

• Those who used it for 16 to 20 hours a week were 19% more likely to say they were lonely than those who didn’t use it at all.
• 21 to 25 and 26 to 30 hours a week were linked with a 23% and 34% higher likelihood of loneliness, respectively.
• The heaviest social media users (at least 30 hours a week) were 38% more likely to report being lonely.

The study’s authors acknowledge that they can’t be sure if excessive social media use leads to loneliness or vice versa.  They suspect it is a bit of both.  Some students who use social media may become lonely because they have less time to see friends in person. Meanwhile, some of those who are lonely may find valuable support online.

The authors also note that some of the students may have underestimated how long they spend online.

Nevertheless, they believe that tackling excessive social media use could lower levels of loneliness.

Senior author of the paper, Dr. Ashley L Merianos, of the University of Cincinnati, highlights the importance of these findings: “These results underscore how widespread loneliness is among college students and highlight that excessive social media use may be replacing the meaningful interactions that protect their mental health. A key public health strategy to combat this loneliness epidemic is to strengthen social connections and help students build supportive relationships with their peers offline.”

Dr. Hill, whose research specialism is to focus on understanding and improving health behaviours such as social media use among children and young adults, concludes: “Academic institutions should educate college students about the potential negative effects of excessive social media use, including loneliness.

“Helping students understand how excessive social media use can affect their well-being may lead to some of them assessing how much time they spend on it.  They may then cut back on it or even set time limits for themselves.

“Institutions should also work to encourage students to attend social events on campus.”

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Journal

Journal of American College Health

DOI

10.1080/07448481.2025.2573108