Wall-To-Wall NAEP Coverage: Does Everyone Really Have To Write The Same Stories?

The Today show’s Natalie Morales talks test scores. Click here to watch.

It’s not just the Today show that covered the 12th grade NAEP scores released earlier this week. So did AP, Washington Post, WSJ, NYT, LA Times, NPR, Huffington Post, US News. Take a look below (thanks to NAGB for the roundup).

Did anyone do particularly well or poorly in covering the release — make a great point or dig up a great quote? And why do news outlets so often decline to cover stories that have already been covered by their competitors (known as “following”) or offered exclusively to another outlet — but then in cases such as this decide that they need to write a story that is likely to replicate so many others? I’m sure there’s a reason, but from the outside it just looks like massive over-coverage. Please help me understand.

U.S. report card shows no math, reading gains Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Math scores slip, reading flat for nation’s 12th-graders The Associated Press

Disappointing 12th grade scores on Nation’s Report Card: Why aren’t reforms working? Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Just 37 Percent of U.S. High School Seniors Have Skills Needed for College Breitbart

Nation’s seniors slip in math, stay the same in reading CT Post

High-School Seniors’ Math Scores Dropped The Daily Beast

Low Performers Show Big Declines on 12th Grade NAEP Test Education Week

Only A Fraction Of Students Are Prepared For College When They Leave High School The Huffington Post

America’s high school seniors’ reading and math scores have hit a wall Los Angeles Times

Test Scores Show a Decline in Math Among High School Seniors The New York Times

Most High School Seniors Aren’t College Or Career Ready, Says ‘Nation’s Report Card’ NPR

More U.S. 12th graders struggle with basic math, reading, tests show The Orlando Sentinel

Struggling seniors fall further behind Politico

National testing data show that SD students slip in math, gain in reading Rapid City Journal

12th-graders’ Federal Tests Scores Dip in Math and Reading While More Manage to Graduate The 74

Math Scores Lower, Reading Scores Unchanged for Nation’s High School Seniors Sunshine State News

High School seniors’ tests scores decline in math, reading United Press International

High School Seniors Aren’t College Ready U.S. News & World Report

Just 37% of U.S. High School Seniors Prepared for College Math and Reading, Test Shows The Wall Street Journal

U.S. high schools seniors slip in math and show no improvement in reading The Washington Post