Washington, Sept. 1 (US): The math and reading scores of American 9-year-olds dropped dramatically during the first two years of the pandemic, according to a new federal study — which offers an early glimpse into the sheer scale of learning setbacks dealing with the nation’s children.
Reading scores experienced their biggest decline in 30 years, while math scores recorded their first decline in the history of the testing system behind the study, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, a branch of the U.S. Department of Education, AP reports.
The declines hit all regions of the country and affected students of most races. But students of color have seen some of the biggest declines, widening the racial achievement gap.
Not much standardized testing was done in the country during the pandemic’s early days, so results released Thursday gave an early look at the impact of pandemic learning disorders. Broader data is expected later this year as part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the nation’s report card.
“These are some of the largest declines we have observed in a single assessment cycle in the 50 years of NAEP,” said Daniel McGrath, acting NCES commissioner. “Students in 2022 are performing at a level last seen two decades ago.”
The study reflects two years of turmoil in American education as schools closed for months at a time amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Many students have spent a year or more learning from home, and virus outbreaks among staff and students continue to disrupt even after the children return to the classroom.
In mathematics, average grades for 9-year-olds fell 7 percentage points between 2020 and 2022, according to the study. The average reading score decreased by 5 points.
The upheaval of the pandemic has particularly hurt students of color. Math scores decreased by 5 percentage points for white students, compared with 13 points for black students and 8 points for Hispanic students. The divide between white and black students has widened by 8 percentage points during the pandemic.
The declines were more consistent in reading: Scores fell 6 points for white, black, and Hispanic students.
The study found that for Asian American students, Native American students, and students of two or more genders, there was little change in reading or math between 2020 and 2022.
Geographically, all regions experienced declines in math, but declines were slightly worse in the Northeast and Midwest than in the West and South. The results were similar to read, except that the West had no appreciable difference compared to 2020.
The study found that while it represented a sharp decline since 2020, average reading scores were 7 points higher than in 1971, and average math scores were 15 points higher than in 1978.
Overall, the findings paint a “realistic picture” of education during the pandemic, said NCES commissioner Peggy Carr.
Federal officials say this is the first nationally representative study to compare student achievement before the pandemic and in 2022, when most students returned to in-person learning. Testing was completed in early 2020, shortly before the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, and in early 2022.