# Kentucky Shows Test Gains as Legislators Review National Assessment Results **Published:** 2026-08-04T00:00:00.000Z **Source:** [KY Legislative Research Commission](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#IJCE-080426) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/kentucky-shows-test-gains-as-legislators-review-national-assessment-results FRANKFORT, Ky. — [The state's Interim Joint Committee on Education heard testimony Tuesday about recent results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#IJCE-080426), with Kentucky showing improvements in both reading and mathematics that outpaced national averages. Jennifer Stafford, associate commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Education's Office of Assessment and Accountability, presented an overview of the 2024 NAEP results, which measure student achievement in grades 4 and 8. [The NAEP is often called the nation's report card and has been administered since 1969](https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reports/reading/2024/g4_8/), providing states with benchmarks for comparison. From 2022 to 2024, Kentucky's grade 4 reading score increased from 217 to 218 — a gain Stafford described as "statistically significant." The grade 4 math score rose from 234 to 238. Both improvements outpaced the national trend, where grade 4 reading fell 2 points to 214. In grade 8, Kentucky's reading scores remained unchanged while math scores improved from 269 to 271, contrasting with declines nationally in both categories. State Sen. Stephen West, R-Paris, praised the results as evidence that state funding is being used efficiently. "I think your implementation on Read to Succeed and numeracy has been very effective," he said, noting that improvements came faster than expected. [The Read to Succeed Act, passed in 2022, aims to strengthen early literacy instruction by investing in teacher training and evidence-based reading practices](https://www.education.ky.gov/curriculum/EarlyLiteracy/Pages/default.aspx). State Rep. James Tipton, R-Taylorsville, pointed to the broader regional context, referencing a "southern surge" in education improvements. He noted that lawmakers across the South have adopted strategies similar to those that drove improvements in Mississippi, now showing measurable benefits in student achievement across the region. ## Sources - [KY Legislative Research Commission](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#IJCE-080426) - [The Nation's Report Card — 2024 NAEP Reading Assessment Results](https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reports/reading/2024/g4_8/) - [Kentucky Department of Education — Early Literacy (Read to Succeed Act information)](https://www.education.ky.gov/curriculum/EarlyLiteracy/Pages/default.aspx) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from KY Legislative Research Commission, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/publicservices/pio/release.html#IJCE-080426.