American students’ reading and math skills were severely damaged during the coronavirus pandemic across almost all demographics. A report on the nation’s plummeting test scores was published by the Department of Education on Thursday, showing dramatic losses across the board for students in the U.S. “In 2022, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) conducted a special administration of the NAEP long-term trend (LTT) reading and mathematics assessments for age 9 students to examine student achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Education Department reported.
“Average scores for age 9 students in 2022 declined 5 points in reading and 7 points in mathematics compared to 2020,” the DOE claimed. “This is the largest average score decline in reading since 1990, and the first ever score decline in mathematics.”
Reading scores saw their largest decrease in 30 years, while math scores had their first decrease in the history of the testing regimen done by the National Center for Education Statistics, a branch of the federal government. The disastrous test results were observed across previously established percentiles, but already lower performing students were hit the hardest. The report explains, “In 2022, reading and mathematics scores for students at all five selected percentile levels declined compared to 2020.