OSPI superintendent: Washington holds reading edge but math lags in national comparisons

Chris Reykdal, Washington’s state superintendent of public instruction, told an early‑September OSPI webcast that international and national assessments show mixed results: "reading continues to be a strength for U.S. kids compared to the world," while mathematics remains a persistent challenge.

Reykdal opened with the PISA international update and said the U.S. is declining more slowly than many countries in reading but is also not immune to declines. On NAEP (the nation's report card), he said Washington’s 8th graders still ‘‘outperform the rest of the country’’ in reading but that "there are 14 states outperforming us in mathematics." He emphasized the difference between college‑readiness metrics (levels 3 and 4) and grade‑level proficiency, saying Smarter Balanced results show about 74% of students at grade level or higher in ELA but weaker performance in math and a larger share at level 1.

Why it matters: Reykdal framed assessments as a diagnostic tool—"they're our dashboard"—and urged policymakers and districts to treat math as an area requiring focused investment and attention to equity, noting income‑related achievement gaps account for a large share of score variance.

Reykdal said OSPI will continue to disaggregate results by grade and subgroup to identify where targeted supports are needed and to pursue policies that raise foundational skills across the state.