紐時賞析／美高三生閱讀成績 創30年來新低

最新發布的閱讀測驗結果顯示，全美許多高中生的程度較以往低落。紐約時報

Reading Skills of 12th Graders Hit a New Low

美高三生閱讀成績創30年新低

The reading skills of American high school seniors are the worst they have been in three decades, according to new federal testing data, a worrying sign for teenagers as they face an uncertain job market and an information landscape challenged by artificial intelligence.

新的聯邦測驗數據顯示，美國高中三年級學生的閱讀能力跌到30年來最差水準，這對於就業市場前景茫茫與AI衝擊資訊環境的青少年來說，是令人憂心的跡象。

In math, 12th graders had the lowest performance since 2005.

數學方面，12年級生的表現也是自2005年以來最差。

The results, from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, long regarded as the nation’s most reliable, gold-standard exam, showed that about a third of the 12th graders who were tested last year did not have basic reading skills.

「全國教育進展評量」長期被視爲全美最可靠、黃金標準的測驗，結果顯示去年受測的12年級生中，大約有3成缺乏基本閱讀能力。

It was a sign that, among other skills, they may not be able to determine the purpose of a political speech. In math, nearly half of the test takers scored below the basic level, meaning they may not have mastered such skills as using percentages to solve real-world problems.

這顯示在其他技能方面，他們可能無法判斷一場政治演講的意圖。在數學方面，近半數的受測學生得分低於基本水準，這意味他們恐怕連像是用百分比解決現實問題的技能，都尚未掌握。

The test scores are the first of their kind to be released since the COVID-19 pandemic upended education. They also arrive at a time when Americans overall are abandoning printed text for screen time and video-dominated social media, which experts have linked to declining academics.

這些測驗分數是自新冠疫情顛覆教育以來首次公佈的同類結果。數據公佈的同時，正值美國人普遍放棄紙本文字，轉向螢幕時間與以影片爲主的社羣媒體，專家認爲這與學業下滑有關連。

The NAEP test results indicate “a stark decline” in performance, said Matthew Soldner, the acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, the arm of the federal Education Department that administers the tests.

隸屬教育部的國家教育統計中心負責執行測驗，代理主任索德納稱「NAEP測驗顯示錶現『明顯下滑』」。

Test score drops were probably caused in part by the disruptions of the pandemic, including illness, school closures and remote learning. The seniors included in the new federal data were in eighth grade when the virus transformed daily life in March 2020. Millions of teenagers spent a year or more learning online.

成績下滑部分原因可能是疫情造成的干擾，包括疾病、學校關閉與遠距學習。這次聯邦數據涵蓋的12年級生，在2020年3月疫情改變日常生活時，他們還只是8年級生。數百萬名青少年花了一年或更長時間在線上學習。

Even so, data from previous testing shows that learning declines — especially among struggling students — began several years before the pandemic. Experts have pointed to a wide range of possible explanations.

即便如此，先前的測驗數據顯示，尤其是學習困難的學生，早在疫情前幾年成績就開始下滑。專家指出，可能存在多種解釋。

Over the last decade, both adults and children began to replace reading time with screen time, social media and, increasingly, streaming video. And over the same period, the federal government and many states relaxed policies that were intended to hold schools and teachers accountable for student learning.

在過去10年，大人與小孩都開始以螢幕時間、社羣媒體，日益增加的串流影片，取代閱讀時間。同一時期，聯邦政府與許多州政府鬆綁了原本用來要求學校與教師對學生成績負責的政策。

The new test data also includes eighth grade science scores. Performance in 2024 declined, with 38% of students scoring below the basic level, compared with 33% in 2019.

新的測驗數據還包含8年級的科學分數。2024年的表現出現下滑，38%的學生低於基本水準，2019年是33%。

文／Dana Goldstein，譯／國際中心

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