AI. NAEP. NJSLA-A. NAEP LTT. Parents in 2026 could be forgiven for being fatigued by acronyms. Especially since that alphabet soup typically serves up confusing and unpleasant realities - like the latest NAEP LTT - Long Term Trends Report.
So what is the LTT, and why does it exist?
The LTT differs from the standard NAEP test in that it doesn’t change. The questions on this exam have remained identical since the 1970s. While NAEP adjusts to contemporary standards, the LTT maintains a set of questions on timeless math and reading skills that are key to being a capable, thinking person.
And 13-year-olds are not measuring up. Reading scores are as low as they’ve ever been, and only 14% of those teenagers report reading for pleasure.
While reading gets the headlines, there are even larger declines in math. 13-year-olds scored 15 points lower than the same age group did in 2012, and 5 points below 2020 levels. In 2012, 85% of this age group were able to solve simple word problems involving addition and subtraction. Now it’s 70%.
Here’s a sample problem:
Sally bought two tickets to a movie. Each ticket cost $12.25. She paid for the tickets with a $20 and a $10 bill. How much change did she get?
This is not a frivolous question to ask just to annoy test takers. This is the kind of scenario kids will face in real life as adults, and with higher-stakes numbers 100 or 1,000 times as large. But the number of kids who can think on their feet and answer it is steadily slipping over time.
However, New Jersey can break away from this downhill slide that the rest of the country is experiencing: by facing the problem head-on and being honest about where our students stand. By simply including each child’s NJ state test scores alongside their grades on end-of-year report cards, parents will have a clearer window into how their child is actually performing in math and reading as they head into summer. NJ administers the state test in April. Parents don’t receive the scores until October.
What fraction of New Jersey 13-year olds can tell you how long that delay is?
