The nation received more evidence this week that the academic setback caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is still impacting students.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the “Nation’s Report Card,” released results Wednesday that found reading and math scores have declined significantly since 2020 among 13-year-olds.
Between 2020 and 2023, NAEP scores for reading dropped by four points while math dropped by nine.
Perhaps even more concerning is that the scores are down by 7 points in reading and 14 in math compared to a decade ago.
NAEP asked students during the 2022-23 school year how often they read for fun and what type of math courses they’re taking. They also asked about the number of days of school they’ve been absent from.
“Students’ responses to survey questions provide information with which to compare performance based on their self-reported characteristics and educational experiences. This information may be valuable in helping parents, educators, and policymakers understand what aspects of students’ experiences are related to achievement,” wrote NAEP.
Reading
How much students read for fun continues to correlate with scores but there are concerning signs that students aren’t reading frequently.
The percentage of students who read for fun almost every day has dropped to 14 percent, the lowest since 1984.
Higher-performing students more frequently reported reading for fun. The average reading score for students who read for fun almost every day was nearly 30 points higher than students who report they hardly ever read.
“Reading for fun is strongly associated with higher achievement,” said National Center for Education Statistics Commissioner Peggy Carr. “Yet fewer students, especially lower-performing students, are reading for fun compared to a decade ago. Aside from its academic effects, reading opens the mind and the heart to new ways of seeing and thinking about the world. Many of our young people will never discover latent passions or areas of interest without reading broadly on their own time.”
The decline in reading scores was especially concerning for students of color.
Black students saw their reading scores drop by 7 points compared to 2020 and students listing two or more races dropped by 9 points.
White students saw a 4-point decrease from 2020.
Mathematics
NAEP saw the sharpest declines ever reported in mathematics and the scores are especially concerning for students of color.
American Indian/Alaska Native students saw a 20-point drop in math scores compared to 2020 while black students dropped by 13 points and Hispanic students dropped by 10.
White students saw a 6-point decrease from 2020.
“The mathematics decline for 13-year-olds was the single largest decline we have observed in the past half a century. The mathematics score for the lowest-performing students has returned to levels last seen in the 1970s, and the reading score for our lowest-performing students was actually lower than it was the very first year these data were collected, in 1971,” Commissioner Carr.
Missing School
NAEP also found students have been missing more time at school since 2020 and those absences corelate with the decline in scores.
The number of students who reported missing five days or more has doubled from five percent to ten percent in 2023.
Students who reported missing more days had lower average scores than students who missed fewer days.
Education advocacy organization The Education Trust said the drop in NAEP scores shows a need for more access to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education.
President and CEO Denise Forte urged education leaders to make investments in high-quality learning experiences.
“We are deeply disturbed but are not surprised by the 2023 NAEP Long-Term Trend assessment results for 13-year-olds released today. Unfinished learning continues to weigh on students across all grades and subjects, and this is especially true for Black and Latino students, English learners, and students from low-income backgrounds who experienced the brunt of pandemic-related upheaval and uncertainties,” said Forte. “Too often, students are denied opportunities to learn, especially in science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM. We know that while Black and Latino students are interested in STEM, they are blocked from access to advanced coursework from elementary through high school.”
