I don't think I'm operating extremely cynically, but I think you may be misinterpreting what this thread is about. The GP above the comment that I initially replied to referenced the PISA result scores[0] put out in a report by the OECD.

Their report indicates that since 2015, there has been a massive drop in scores for reading and mathematics performance. This is a reversal of a longstanding trend - performance had been consistently improving, then it plateaued, and now it is consistently dropping[1].

The problem is that _normal kids_ aren't learning anymore, not that the cognitive baseline of the population is statistically changing.

[0] https://www.oecd.org/en/about/news/press-releases/2026/09/pi... [1] https://www.oecd.org/en/data/dashboards/pisa-education-and-s...