The Nation’s Report Card reveals a stark reality: American students continue to struggle academically in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, with reading and math scores remaining below pre-pandemic levels.
At a Glance
- One-third of eighth-grade students scored below “basic” in reading, marking the worst performance in the test’s history
- Fourth-grade math scores showed slight improvement compared to 2022, but overall performance remains below pre-pandemic levels
- The gap between high and low-performing students has widened, with lower-achieving students experiencing more significant learning loss
- Despite $190 billion in federal pandemic funds, most students have not recovered from pandemic-related learning setbacks
- Some states and districts showed improvement, with 15 states/jurisdictions and 14 urban districts increasing fourth-grade math scores
Continued Academic Struggles Post-Pandemic
The latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results paint a grim picture of the state of education in America. The Department of Education’s “Nation’s Report Card” indicates that U.S. students are still grappling with the academic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in reading and math. The data shows that fourth graders dropped three points in math and five in reading, while eighth graders experienced even steeper declines of eight points in math and five in reading since 2019.
The situation is especially dire for eighth-grade students in reading. NCES Commissioner Peggy G. Carr highlighted the severity of the problem, stating, “Overall, student achievement has not returned to pre-pandemic performance. Where there are signs of recovery, they are mostly in math and largely driven by higher-performing students. Lower-performing students are struggling, especially in reading.”
Despite a significant federal investment of approximately $190 billion in pandemic funds for education, the results have been disappointing. The U.S. Department of Education described the situation as “heartbreaking,” acknowledging that most students have not recovered from pandemic-related learning loss. Even more concerning is that students who were already behind have fallen further behind, widening the achievement gap.
“Today’s NAEP results reveal a heartbreaking reality for American students and confirm our worst fears: not only did most students not recover from pandemic-related learning loss, but those students who were the most behind and needed the most support have fallen even further behind,” the U.S. Department of Education said.
However, there are some bright spots amid the overall gloomy picture. Fifteen states or jurisdictions and fourteen urban districts reported increases in fourth-grade math scores. Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado highlighted his state’s progress, noting, “Well, there were some — there are some bright lights, and we always try to learn from the bright lights. Louisiana was another bright light of significant increases.”
We need reform. And quick.