Inside the Nation’s Report Card: Addressing Gaps With Interactive Learning

The latest Nation’s Report Card, provided by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), recently shared some troubling news about student achievement across the United States.

• Reading scores have reached their lowest levels in 32 years, with only 67% of eighth graders and 60% of fourth graders performing at or above proficiency.
• Math scores remain below pre-pandemic levels.
• The gap between high- and low-performing students has widened.

Better engagement and targeted instruction are more critical than ever to support student learning and close these achievement gaps.

Interactive Instruction Keeps Students Engaged

Students learn best when they actively engage with lessons rather than passively absorb information. Interactive technology can make instruction more dynamic, helping students visualize complex ideas, collaborate with peers and receive real-time feedback.

Boxlight interactive displays do just that, equipping teachers to turn traditional lessons into hands-on experiences that make learning more engaging and improve comprehension and retention:

• Students can highlight, annotate and discuss digital texts together.
• Math is more accessible with digital manipulatives that let students experiment with numbers and equations in real-time.
• Collaborative problem-solving and multimedia resources support different learning styles and encourage participation.

Feedback and Personalization Help Close Gaps

One of the most pressing issues identified by NAEP is the widening gap between high- and low-performing students. Personalized learning tools can bridge this divide by adapting instruction to each student’s individual needs. With assessment-driven platforms like MimioStudio and MyClass, teachers can:

• Track student progress and adjust instruction based on real-time data.
• Provide instant feedback to help students correct mistakes and reinforce learning.
• Differentiate lessons to provide support while keeping all learners challenged.

Interactive and data-driven teaching tools can play a key role in closing learning gaps because they create opportunities for all students to learn in the way that is tailored just for them.

Making Reading and Math More Accessible

For many students, reading comprehension and math fluency are challenging because abstract concepts feel disconnected from real life. Interactive tools address this by making learning more tangible and engaging. Instead of just reading or solving equations on paper, students can interact with the content in ways that work for them, making it much easier to understand and remember.

Features like text-to-speech, embedded vocabulary support and digital annotations also help students retain more of what they’re reading. Interactive software and STEM tools like robotics and coding programs provide hands-on problem-solving experiences that make abstract math concepts more concrete. All of this brings about multi-dimensional learning experiences that reinforce key skills and build students’ confidence.

We Help Schools Improve Learning Outcomes

While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, interactive learning, real-time feedback and hands-on problem-solving can all significantly improve comprehension and student performance. At Boxlight, we’re passionate about building these into our classroom technology so we can help schools create more dynamic and inclusive learning environments that truly support student success.

For more information on how we can support teaching and learning in your district, visit Boxlight.com.