NYC Math Scores Plunged In 2022 State Exams, Results Show

NEW YORK CITY — Math scores plunged for elementary and middle school New York City public school students over the coronavirus pandemic, newly released 2022 state exam results show.

Third through eighth grade math proficiency dropped 7.6 percentage points overall compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to results released Wednesday by the city.

The scores give New York City families and educators a first look at how pandemic disruptions affected city students. No students took the state's English and math exams in 2020 and only a relative handful — 20 percent — did so in 2021, officials said.

"While results are complicated by the pandemic, the results reflect hard work by our students, families and educators during a difficult time," said Dan Weisberg, the city's first deputy chancellor.

"They also reflect opportunity gaps and outcomes in particular for Black and Hispanic students as well as students with disabilities and English-language learners that are unacceptable."

State officials originally instructed districts not to release the data, but changed their stance after a fight from school officials, Chalkbeat first reported.

Results for the English Language Arts exam in New York City were slightly better, with proficiency for third- to eighth-grade students going up 1.6 percentage points, the results show.

The math decline — which was seen in every grade from third to eighth — tracks with national trends showing students faring better at English during the pandemic, officials said.

But the results also hint the pandemic affected English scores as well.

Grades three through five saw a dip in English scores, while sixth- through eighth-graders' proficiency increased, the results show.

Officials said that indicates students who were still learning to read in grades 1 through 3 during the pandemic struggled more.

See the full test results here.

This is a breaking story. Refresh for updates.