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Some education experts push for high-stakes testing to address declining academic performance

A student looks at questions during a college test preparation class at Holton Arms School in Bethesda, Md.  (Alex Brandon/AP)
Alex Brandon/AP
A student looks at questions during a college test preparation class at Holton Arms School in Bethesda, Md. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Reading and math scores are down to their lowest levels in more than 20 years, according to the latest data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Some education experts are now calling for a return to harsher consequences for low test scores — a hallmark of No Child Left Behind in the early 2000s — as a way to help students catch up.

Matt Barnum, editor and columnist with Chalkbeat, joins host Indira Lakshmanan to discuss the link between school accountability and academic performance.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2026 WBUR

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