The latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), commonly called the "Nation's Report Card," revealed that 12th-graders' scores in math and reading have hit record lows, continuing a years-long decline.

The updated testing data was released Tuesday and reflected results from tests administered between January and March 2024.

As The Washington Post noted, the declines began before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education nationwide and have continued since. Lawmakers had hoped scores would rebound in 2024, but the results underscored ongoing challenges in the U.S. education system.

ILLINOIS CHANGES BENCHMARKS THAT PROVED PROFICIENCY IN MATH, ENGLISH ON STANDARDIZED TESTS

The NAEP showed that nearly 45% of high school seniors scored "below basic" in math, the highest share since the current version of the test was introduced.

Reading scores also fell, with nearly one-third of seniors testing below basic — another record. The lowest-performing students recorded an average score of 224, 25 points lower than their peers in 1992.

"Scores for our lowest-performing students are at historic lows, continuing declines that began more than a decade ago. My predecessor warned of this trend and her predecessor warned of this trend as well, and now I am warning you about this trend," said Matthew Soldner, acting director of the Institute of Education Sciences, a research arm of the Department of Education. "These results should galvanize all of us to take concerted, focused action to accelerate student learning."

The report also included eighth-graders' science scores, which dropped below 2019 levels, erasing gains made since the test began in 2009.

THE WAR ON READING: CHILDREN IN THE CROSSHAIRS

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

Following the release of the scores on Tuesday, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said the results "confirm a devastating trend" which has continued "despite spending billions annually on numerous K-12 programs."

In an appearance Tuesday on "America's Newsroom," McMahon agreed with Fox News host Dana Perino wondering if the situation was a "national emergency." She added that she and President Donald Trump were on a mission to return education funding to the states.

"I do believe it is," McMahon said. "That is just an incredibly devastating trend to look at in our country. We are spending a ton of money on education. We've spent $3 trillion since the Department of Education was established, only to see scores continuing to decline. And that is just a trend we have to stop, and I think the money is not being spent where it needs to be spent, and that's in the states."

While the Trump administration has proposed giving states more control over how they allocate federal education dollars, it has also requested that Congress cut overall spending on those programs. 

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) — which administers the tests — faced layoffs and canceled contracts earlier this year as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) made cuts at the Department of Education.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Soldner, who works in the Education Department's research and data branch, told reporters on Monday that the cuts did not hinder the office's ability to analyze and report on these results, according to the Washington Post.

FIRST ON FOX: GOP Congressman and Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds introduced legislation to enforce English proficiency for truck drivers in the U.S. as an illegal migrant faces three counts of vehicular homicide in the Sunshine State.

Harjinder Singh, an illegal migrant from India, is accused of jackknifing his tractor-trailer on Aug. 12, leading to a deadly crash that took three lives. Singh was issued a commercial driver’s license in California, but had also previously received a license in Washington state. 

Following the incident, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration examined Singh’s English proficiency and road sign comprehension. The illegal migrant was only able to identify just one out of four road signs during the test, and correctly answered only two of twelve questions surrounding his ability to understand English.

BLUE STATES DEFLECT BLAME IN TRUMP PROBE AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKER CRASH KILLS 3 IN FLORIDA

Singh is currently being held in Florida without bond and faces three counts of vehicular homicide.

Under current federal law, to obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL), an applicant must be able to "read and speak the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals in the English language, to respond to official inquiries, and to make entries on reports and records."

On Aug. 28, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Transportation (DOT) to further enforce the policy.

BODYCAM VIDEO SHOWS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCK DRIVER SPEAKING LIMITED ENGLISH WITH NEW MEXICO OFFICER

The executive order stated that the English proficiency "requirement has not been enforced in years, and America’s roadways have become less safe."

Rep. Byron Donald’s new legislation, the Weigh station Enforcement to Intercept and Guard Highways (WEIGH) Act, would codify Trump’s executive order, and would allow the DOT to utilize weigh stations along federal highways to enforce English proficiency requirements.

"The failure of states to enforce basic and commonsense requirements for truckers is putting every American motorist at risk," Donalds told Fox News Digital. "At the state level, Governor DeSantis and Commissioner Simpson have taken action to protect Floridians, but it’s imperative that we expand this effort nationwide. 

"Under my ‘WEIGH Act,’ all weigh stations along interstate highways will be required to enforce President Trump’s Executive Order to review commercial driver licenses for irregularities and verify the English language proficiency of truckers," Donalds added. "Safety must be the standard, not the exception, and on Capitol Hill I’m fighting to ensure that the American people are put first every step of the way. The elimination of these threats to the American people is non-negotiable."

NEARLY 2.5M PEOPLE SIGN PETITION SUPPORTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCK DRIVER CHARGED IN FATAL CRASH

While individual states determine their highway law enforcement policy, federal highway funding dollars for states could be in jeopardy should they refuse to comply with DOT requirements enforcing English proficiency checks.

Florida's own Commisioner of Agriculture, Wilton Simpson, told Fox News Digital, "If you can't read our signs, you shouldn't be on our roads."

"If you drive a truck through our interdiction stations, you're prepared for us to check your load for bugs and drugs," Simposon told Fox. "Since [Trump] took office, we have helped take nearly 150 illegal immigrants off our streets — including murders and child predators."

Under most state laws, commercial trucks carrying over 10 thousand pounds are required to stop at weight stations, as well as commercial trucks carrying hazardous materials.