COVID Sets Back GA In Math, Reading, ‘Nation’s Report Card’ Shows

GEORGIA — Math and reading scores of students in Georgia and the rest of the country declined over the past three years, especially in mathematics, according to a new “nation’s report card,” the first comprehensive analysis of the pandemic’s academic toll on America’s school children.

Nationally, nearly four in 10 eighth graders failed to grasp basic math concepts in the biggest decline in math scores in decades, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, report released Monday by the National Center for Education Statistics.

Reading scores among fourth graders also slid to the lowest level since 1990. The declines in fourth and eighth graders’ scores in mathematics were the largest ever recorded.

The achievement test given every two years to the nation’s fourth and eighth graders also showed reading scores are sliding. The NAEP test is mandated by Congress to measure students’ progress and learning experiences in various subjects. It hasn’t been given since 2019 because of the pandemic.

“It is a serious wake-up call for us all,” Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, a branch of the Education Department, told the Associated Press.

“In NAEP, when we experience a 1- or 2-point decline, we’re talking about it as a significant impact on a student’s achievement. In math, we experienced an 8-point decline — historic for this assessment,” she said.

Education researchers generally equate a 10-point decline with a year of learning.

Georgia eighth grade math scores fell eight points on a 500-point scale, (from 279 in 2019 to 271 this year). Fourth grade scores slipped three points over the same period (from 238 to 235).

In reading, Georgia’s fourth graders’ scores fell two points on a 500-point scale (from 218 in 2019 to 216 this year). Eighth graders’ reading scores fell two points during the same period (from 262 to 260).

Nationally, the average mathematics score for fourth graders has fallen 5 points since 2019 (from 241 to 236), while the score for eighth graders dropped 8 points (from 282 to 274). In reading, average scores for both grades fell 3 points (from 220 to 217 at fourth grade and from 263 to 260 at eighth grade).

The math score declines are the largest ever recorded for the subject. None of the 50 states and the District of Columbia saw an increase in eighth grade math scores, though Utah and the U.S. Department of Education Activity schools saw no change.

Overall, 38 percent of eighth graders’ scores were graded as “below basic,” a cutoff that measures, for example, whether students can find the third angle in a triangle if they’re given the other two. In 2019, 31 percent of eighth graders scored below that level.

“Eighth grade is a pivotal moment in students’ mathematics education, as they develop key mathematics skills for further learning and potential careers in mathematics and science,” Daniel J. McGrath, acting NCES associate commissioner for assessment, said in a news release. “If left unaddressed, this could alter the trajectories and life opportunities of a whole cohort of young people, potentially reducing their abilities to pursue rewarding and productive careers in mathematics, science, and technology.”

Every region of the country saw test scores slide, and every state saw a decline in at least one subject. Several major districts saw test scores fall by more than 10 points.

Confirming what many had feared, racial inequities appear to have widened during the pandemic. In fourth grade, Black and Hispanic students saw bigger decreases than white students, widening gaps that have persisted for decades.

Inequities were also reflected in a growing gap between higher and lower performing students. In math and reading, scores fell most sharply among the lowest performing students, creating a widening chasm between struggling students and the rest of their peers.

Surveys done as part of this year’s test illustrate the divide.

When schools shifted to remote learning, higher performing students were far more likely to have reliable access to quiet spaces, computers and help from their teachers, the survey found.