Data Show Marked Decline in Test Scores During Pandemic

Reading and math were hit the hardest.

QUICK FACTS:

• A new federal study found that during the first two years of the pandemic, math and reading test scores for 9-year-olds in America fell sharply.
• According to the National Center for Education Statistics, math scores experienced their first decrease in the history of the testing program.
• Likewise, the reading scores of 9-year-olds tested during the same time period also experienced the largest decline in 30 years.
• In math, the average score for 9-year-olds dropped 7% between 2020 and 2022 and average reading scores fell 5% in the same period.
• At least one study indicated that even later in the pandemic, students who learned virtually were about half an academic year behind their peers who studied in person.

Reading scores saw their largest decrease in 30 years, while math scores declined for the first time in the govt's history of testing 9-year-olds — showing the sheer magnitude of the pandemic's effects on America's schoolkids. https://t.co/jTsBKISquE

— The Associated Press (@AP) September 1, 2022

INDICATORS OF THE DOWNTURN:

• These test results are seen as an early indication of the magnitude of the learning setbacks dealt to the nation’s children.
• Students of most races were impacted by the declines and the impact was felt nationwide and minority students were believed to be disproportionately impacted.
• Daniel McGrath, the acting associate commissioner of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NCES) said, “These are some of the largest declines we have observed in a single assessment cycle in 50 years of the NAEP program. Students in 2022 are performing at a level last seen two decades ago.”

BACKGROUND:

• In August of 2020, the national Census Bureau reported that over 90% of households with school-aged children reported they were engaged in some form of distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• By late Oct 2021, an American Family Survey showed that the pandemic had already begun to take a toll on kids’ learning and grades.
• Later reports indicated that even upon returning to schools, mask mandates were likely harming kids’ development and learning.
• Lockdowns aren’t a thing of the past for some areas, as China’s metropolis of Chengdu has locked down its 21.2 million residents, rolling out citywide COVID-19 testing.