Math Scores Fell in Nearly Every State, and Reading Dipped on National Exam (Published 2022) – The New York Times

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The results, from what is known as the nation’s report card, offer the most definitive picture yet of the pandemic’s devastating impact on students.
By Sarah Mervosh and Ashley Wu
U.S. students in most states and across almost all demographic groups have experienced troubling setbacks in both math and reading, according to an authoritative national exam released on Monday, offering the most definitive indictment yet of the pandemic’s impact on millions of schoolchildren.
In math, the results were especially devastating, representing the steepest declines ever recorded on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the nation’s report card, which tests a broad sampling of fourth and eighth graders and dates to the early 1990s.
In the test’s first results since the pandemic began, math scores for eighth graders fell in nearly every state. A meager 26 percent of eighth graders were proficient, down from 34 percent in 2019.
Fourth graders fared only slightly better, with declines in 41 states. Just 36 percent of fourth graders were proficient in math, down from 41 percent.
Reading scores also declined in more than half the states, continuing a downward trend that had begun even before the pandemic. No state showed sizable improvement in reading. And only about one in three students met proficiency standards, a designation that means students have demonstrated competency and are on track for future success.
Proficient and above
Basic and below
Math, 8th grade
Math, 4th grade
73%
64%
36%
26%
Reading, 8th grade
Reading, 4th grade
69%
33%
66%
31%
Proficient and above
Basic and below
Math, 4th grade
Math, 8th grade
64%
73%
36%
26%
Reading, 4th grade
Reading, 8th grade
33%
66%
31%
69%
Note: Percentages may not sum to 100 because of rounding.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics
States are ranked by proficiency level in fourth grade math. Click or tap columns to sort by other grades and subjects.
36%
26%
33%
31%
44%
31%
38%
30%
43%
35%
43%
40%
43%
31%
34%
29%
43%
33%
33%
32%
42%
35%
37%
36%
41%
23%
39%
29%
41%
32%
32%
30%
40%
29%
37%
33%
40%
29%
35%
33%
40%
27%
34%
31%
40%
30%
33%
31%
40%
28%
33%
29%
40%
32%
32%
31%
40%
28%
31%
27%
39%
33%
38%
42%
38%
29%
34%
29%
38%
27%
33%
32%
38%
31%
32%
31%
38%
24%
30%
23%
37%
30%
35%
35%
37%
22%
35%
31%
36%
28%
38%
34%
36%
32%
32%
32%
36%
25%
30%
28%
35%
28%
34%
32%
35%
25%
32%
26%
35%
23%
31%
26%
34%
27%
34%
34%
34%
24%
34%
31%
34%
24%
32%
31%
34%
22%
32%
27%
34%
24%
30%
28%
33%
21%
31%
29%
32%
24%
31%
28%
32%
18%
31%
22%
32%
24%
29%
29%
32%
25%
28%
28%
31%
25%
31%
33%
30%
23%
31%
30%
29%
22%
28%
28%
28%
28%
30%
32%
28%
19%
30%
26%
28%
21%
27%
29%
28%
23%
24%
26%
27%
19%
28%
27%
27%
19%
28%
22%
27%
16%
24%
21%
26%
18%
25%
24%
24%
16%
26%
22%
23%
15%
22%
22%
19%
13%
21%
18%
Source: National Center for Education Statistics
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