MI, Detroit Math, Reading Scores Down After Pandemic Slide: Report

DETROIT — There’s no question the coronavirus pandemic upended learning in Detroit, but fourth and eighth graders’ test scores in math and reading show just how much, according to an achievement assessment known as the Nation’s Report Card.

The report card, released Wednesday by the National Center for Education Statistics, also revealed a worrisome trend for democracy — slides in U.S. history and civics test scores, according to NCES Commissioner Peggy G. Carr.

The report from the NCES, an arm of the Education Department’s institute of Education Sciences, looks at the key measurements of math and reading proficiency in 2022 compared with 2019, before the COVID-19 interruptions in learning.

In 2022, scores on the fourth and eighth grade National Assessment of Educational Progress math tests were the lowest since the initial assessments in 1990. Reading scores also declined nationally.

In Michigan, the report shows the average math score for fourth-graders was 232, which is slightly below the national average (235) for public schools across the nation. The average among eight-graders was 273, which is the national average for public schools.

The average reading score for Michigan fourth-graders was 212, which is slightly below the nation average of 216 for public schools across the nation, according to the report. Among eight-graders, the average reading score was 259, which is the same as the average across the nation.

In Detroit Public Schools:

Fourth graders scored an average of 194 on math tests in 2022, which is lower than their average score in 2019 (205). On those tests:

• 3.1 percent of fourth graders scored at or above the proficiency level in math. That number is down from 5.6 percent in 2019.
• 23.3 percent of fourth graders scored at or above the basic level in math. That number is also down from 37 percent in 2019.

Eighth graders scored an average of 227 on math tests in 2022, which is lower than their average score in 2019 (244). On those tests:

• 4 percent of eight graders scored at or above the proficiency level in math. That number is down from 5 percent in 2019.
• 20 percent of eight graders scored at or above the basic level in math. That number is also down from 27 percent in 2019.

On 2022 reading tests, fourth graders scored an average of 176, which is lower than their average score in 2019 (183). On those tests:

• 5.5 percent of fourth graders scored at or above the proficiency level in reading. That number is down from 6.6 percent in 2019.
• 20.7 percent of fourth graders scored at or above the basic level in reading. That number is also down from 23 percent in 2019.

Eighth graders scored an average of 227 on reading tests in 2022, which is lower than their average score in 2019 (232). On those tests:

• 5 percent of eighth graders scored at or above the proficiency level in reading. That number is down from 6 percent in 2019.
• 32 percent of eighth graders scored at the basic level in reading. That number is down from 39 percent in 2019.

The report didn’t break out how Michigan eighth graders performed on U.S. history and civics tests, but the drop in scores nationally is “a national concern,” Carr, the NCES commissioner, said in a news release.

“Self-government depends on each generation of students leaving school with a complete understanding of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship,” she said. “But far too many students are struggling to understand and explain the importance of civic participation, how American government functions, and the historical significance of events.”

U.S. history test scores have dropped since 2018 among all students except among the very top-performing students. In civics, scores declined for lower- and middle-performing students and did not change for higher-performing students.

The number of students who performed below the basic level increased in both subjects, and about 4 in 10 eighth graders performed below the basic level in history.

Only 13 percent of eighth graders scored at or above the national proficiency level in U.S. history, the lowest proportion to reach that level in any subject on the tests, Dan McGrath, the acting associate commissioner of the NCES, said in the news release.

Only about one-fifth of students were at or above proficiency levels in civics, which is the second-lowest proportion of students reaching that level in any subject, he said. This was the first decline ever recorded by the civics assessment.