NEWS USA TODAY z THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2019 z 3A
American students are struggling
with reading. And the country’s educa-
tion system hasn’t found a way to make
it better.
In fact, fourth and eighth grade read-
ing scores on the National Assessment
of Educational Progress essentially
haven’t budged in 10 years. That’s caus-
ing some alarm, considering the num-
ber of reforms aimed at American
schools over the past decade: stronger
academic standards, more tests, stricter
teacher evaluations and laws that dis-
courage schools from promoting third
graders if they can’t read proficiently, to
name a few.
“Reading has just been more or less
plateauing, stagnating,” said Peggy
Carr, a leader of the assessments divi-
sion for the National Center for Educa-
tion Statistics, which administers the
NAEP to a representative sample of stu-
dents across the USA every two years.
How bad are the reading scores?
Results of the 2019 NAEP, also known
as the Nation’s Report Card, showed el-
ementary and middle school students
scored worse in readingthan they did
two years ago.
Specifically, 35% of fourthgraders
were proficient in reading in 2019,
slightly down from 37% in 2017 and
barely up from 33% of such students
considered proficient a decade ago.
About 34% of eighthgraders were
proficient in reading this year, a drop
from 36% in 2017 and only a bit better
than 32% in 2009.
To be clear, the national exams set a
high bar for proficiency – higher than
most state achievement tests. But
they’re the only consistent measure of
how students nationwide are doing in
core subjects over time. A sample of
about 600,000 public and private
school students in fourth and eighth
grade took the reading and math exams
in 2019. Their results were released
Wednesday.
“Since the first reading assessment in
1992, there’s been no growth for the low-
est-performing students in either fourth
or eighth grade,” Carr said. “Our stu-
dents struggling the most with reading
are where they were nearly 30 years
ago.”Are math scores any better?In the short term, not really. But
over 27 years, they’ve improved more
than reading scores.
About 41% of fourthgraders and
34% of eighth graders scored profi-
cient in math in 2019. That’s not sig-
nificantly different from 2017.
But since 1990, students at both
grade levels have improved in math:
Fourth graders this year scored 27
points higher on the 300-point exam
compared with their peers in 1990.
Eighth grade students posted an aver-
age score that was 19 points higher
than in 1990.Is there any good news?Yes. Washington, D.C., students
showed big gains in fourth grade read-
ing and eighth grade math. In fact, D.C.
Public Schools was the only large dis-
trict to show test-score gains in three
of the four assessments since 2017,
Carr said. Mississippi was the only
other state to improve in fourth grade
reading since 2017.
Detroit’s public schools pulled out a
win in fourth grade math: Students
scored 6 points higher than in 2017.
Education coverage at USA TODAY
is made possible in part by a grant
from the Bill & Melinda Gates Founda-
tion. The Gates Foundation does not
provide editorial input.Erin Richards
USA TODAY
US students’ reading scores are
‘plateauing,’ assessment shows
“Since ... 1992, there’s beenno growth for the lowest-performing students ineither fourth or eighthgrade.”
Peggy CarrNational Center for Education
StatisticsThree people were dead and nine
wounded in a shooting rampage at a
home in Long Beach, California, au-
thorities said Wednesday.
The shooting spree apparently took
place at a Halloween party Tuesday
night, said Jake Heflin, a public infor-
mation officer with the Long Beach
Fire Department.
Heflin said it was not clear whether
the attack was the work of just one
shooter. No suspects were in custody
and no motive had been determined.
Heflin said he did not have informa-
tion on the condition of the wounded.
Lambert Alcendor, 21, told the Long
Beach Press-Telegram he was walking
to a liquor store when he saw a white
car swerving onto the street. Then he
heard 20 to 30 shots.
“I definitely heard a lot of shots,” he
said. “And that’s when I started run-
ning.”
Oscar Cancio, 33, said he was un-
loading hockey equipment from his
car when he heard what sounded like
nine to 11 gunshots. He told the Press-
Telegram he thought they were fire-
works until he heard a helicopter cir-
cling and sirens approaching.
He saw three people who were com-
pletely stillas they were taken away
from the building on stretchers. Others
dressed in costumes were limping out
of the building, he said.
“You don’t really hear about big
shootings here, so for this to happen in
our neighborhood feels awful,” he said.
“You don’t feel good walking in the
street after something like this.”John Bacon
USA TODAY3 killed, 9injured atHalloweenparty in Calif.Police investigate the scene of a
shooting in Long Beach, Calif., on
Wednesday. SCOTT VARLEY/APWASHINGTON – New York City’s
chief medical examiner said there’s no
need for a second investigation into Jef-
frey Epstein’s death after a pathologist
hired by the family argued that injuries
to the disgraced financier point to homi-
cide, not suicide.
Epstein, 66, died while awaiting trial
on federal sex trafficking charges. He
was found unresponsive in his Manhat-
tan jail cell early on Aug. 10.
New York City Chief Medical Exam-
iner Dr. Barbara Sampson later ruled
that Epstein died of suicide by hanging
and refuted conspiracy theories that
foul play was involved.
Michael Baden, a former New York City
medical examiner hired by Epstein’s
brother, saidin a Fox & Friends interview
Wednesday morning that broken bones in
Epstein’s neck indicate a “huge amount of
pressure” was applied.
“There were findings that are unusu-
al for suicide by hanging and more con-
sistent with ligature homicidal strangu-
lation,” Baden said.
Curiosity around one of those brokenneck bones – the hyoid – has been at
the center of theories about Epstein’s
death, which President Donald Trump
has promoted.
News outlets reported in August
that Epstein suffered broken bones in
his neck. But The Washington Post,
which first reported on the injuries,
cited experts saying such breaks can
occur in people who hang themselves,
particularly if they are older.
In a statement Wednesday, Samp-
son said she stands by her conclusion
that Epstein died by suicide. “There is
no reason for a second medical investi-
gation by our office,” she said.Kevin Johnson and Kristine Phillips
USA TODAY
Epstein’s manner of death questioned
NATION
The library’s defenses were aided by a
shift in the winds – and the work of goats
brought in every year to create a fire
break by chewing through vegetation
surrounding the complex. About 800
firefighters also battled the blaze on the
ground as helicopters and airplanes at-
tacked with water drops from above.
Reagan and his wife, Nancy, are buried
next to each other on a hill at the library.
Ventura County, like much of the
state, faced an “extreme red flag warn-
ing” because of wildfire conditions.
“It’s coming up the side where the
parking lot is. You can actually now see
flames on the hillside out of the window
of the Air Force One Pavilion,” Giller said.
“The fire seems to have shifted and it
seems to be going away from the library
right now. So right now, we are safe.”
In Los Angeles County, fire officials
said they had determined the cause of
the Getty Fire, which has forced the evac-
uation of more than 7,000 homes near
the Getty Museum.
“The fire was deemed an accidental
start, caused by a tree branch that broke
off and subsequently landed in nearby
power lines during high wind condi-
tions,” Los Angeles Fire Department
spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said.
“This errant tree branch caused the
sparking and arcing of the power lines,
igniting nearby brush.”
Gusty winds were threatening to fur-
ther spread wildfires already burning
across the state.
Conditions have turned deadly
The winds sweeping the parched state
have been blamed for three deaths. The
Madera County Sheriff ’s Office said the
bodies of Edward and Iva Poulson were
found Monday in their Jeep after a tree
toppled onto the vehicle in high winds.
And the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported
that a homeless woman died Sunday af-
ter being crushed by a tree.
In Los Angeles, officials stationed
crews at fire-prone locations in an effort
to quickly extinguish any new blazes.
“Extreme” red flag warnings were expect-
ed to persist into Thursday night, bring-
ing the potential for “rapid fire spread”
and “extreme fire behavior,” according to
the National Weather Service.
“It takes one ember, just one ember
downwind, to start another brush fire,”
L.A. Fire Chief Ralph Terrazassaid.
Low humidity, dry fuel and sustainedwinds up to 55 mph are testing firefight-
ers, who had contained 15% of the 656-
acre Getty Fire by Tuesday evening. The
flames had injured one firefighter and de-
stroyed or damaged 18 buildings. Nearby
neighborhoods should be prepared to
flee, authorities warned.
In Sonoma County, north of San Fran-
cisco, firefighters battling the Kincade
Fire faced another round of the Diablo
winds. Sustained gusts of 20 to 30 mph
could fan the 118-square-mile blaze but
pose less of a threat than winds recordedover the weekend.
The wildfire had destroyed more than
200 buildings and was 30% contained
Wednesday. An additional 80,
homes were threatened, prompting offi-
cials to keep 15 evacuation centers open.
About 200,000 people had been
forced from the area since the fire ignited
last week, although some evacuation or-
ders had been eased to evacuation warn-
ings as firefighting progressed.
“Our hearts and prayers are with the
firefighters out there doing a spectacular
job, but with the situation so fluid, with
the winds still blowing, we’re not through
this yet,” Sonoma County Supervisor Da-
vid Rabbitt said.Power problems persistPower shutoffs also weren’t over for
nearly 1.5 million Northern and Central
California residents. Pacific Gas & Elec-
tric turned off power in 29 counties Tues-
day, marking its fourth shutoff this
month and third in the last week.
Southern California Edison warned
that crews may cut off power for an addi-
tional 300,000 customers – mainly in
Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Bernardi-
no counties – if conditions worsen.
The shutoffs, designed to reduce the
risk of utility equipment sparking wild-
fires in strong winds, have drawn criti-
cism from residents and public officials.
PG&E on Tuesday yielded to pressure
from Gov. Gavin Newsom by announcing
it will issue a bill credit for customers af-
fected by the first shutoff this month.
Residential customers will see a $
credit in the next billing cycle, and busi-
nesses will get $250, the utility said.
Credits will not be issued for the subse-
quent shutoffs, PG&E said, because the
company worked to improve how it noti-
fied customers.
The utility also faces scrutiny amid Cal
Fire’s investigation into the Kincade
Fire’s origin. PG&E acknowledged last
week a live, 230,000-volt transmission
line malfunctioned minutes before the
fire erupted.
Contributing: The Associated PressFires
Continued from Page 1A
Getty FireKincade Fire10Santa RosaReddingSan FranciscoBakersfieldFresnoLos
AngelesSan DiegoSacramentoPacific
OceanCaliforniaNev.SOURCE CAL FIRE, as of Oct. 30; ESRI
JANET LOEHRKE/USA TODAYBurris
FireCaples FireTaboose
FireOld Water
FireTick FireSaddle Ridge FireEasy Fire100 miles Palisades Fire Hill Fire995Active California
wildfires
(10 acres or greater)