Here’s what the pandemic did to America’s children’s learning standards

Mathematics test results across the country experienced their biggest drop ever. Scores in reading dropped to 1992 levels. About four out of ten students in class VIII struggled to grasp the fundamentals of mathematics. No state showed any significant improvement in average test results, and other states hardly progressed from where they were.

These are the results of this year’s National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the “report card of the nation”, which assessed thousands of fourth and eighth grade students across the country. The test was administered for the first time since 2019 and is regarded as the first nationally representative investigation into the effects of the pandemic on education.

Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, a branch of the Department of Education, said in an interview, “This is a serious wakeup call for all of us. In NAEP, when we experience a 1- or 2-point drop, we are referring to this as a significant impact on student achievement. In math, we experienced an 8-point drop—historic for this assessment.”

Typically, researchers equate a 10-point increase or decrease to approximately one year of learning.

It’s hardly shocking that kids are falling behind. every aspect of life was transformed by Epidemic, which forced millions of people to learn at home for several months or more. The results, which were made public on Monday, show just how severe those shortfalls were and how difficult it will be for schools to help catch up with pupils.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said it was a reminder that schools should intensify their efforts and that Congress should use the billions of money they have to help students recover.

“I am very clear: these results are not acceptable,” Cardona said.

Generally, the NAEP test is done every two years. This was accomplished between January and March by a representative sample of students from all 50 states and 26 largest school districts in the country. Even before the pandemic, scores had remained stable, but the most recent findings suggest a decline on a scale not seen before.

The Arithmetic and Reading test results of the students were less as compared to 2019. However, with the fall in reading scores, math scores fell by the largest margin ever recorded in the history of the NAEP test, which began in 1969.

Math scores were the worst among eighth graders, with 38% earning marks considered “below the root”—a cutoff that measures, for example, whether students could find the third angle of a triangle if they had to find the third angle of a triangle. Two are given. It is worse than 2019. , when 31% of Class VIII students scored below that level.

No region of the country was exempted. There has been a decrease in test results in at least one subject in every region and state.

In some important areas the result has decreased by more than 10 marks. Cleveland experienced the largest single drop, with a 16-point drop in fourth-grade reading and a 15-point drop in fourth-grade arithmetic. Baltimore and Shelby County, Tennessee also experienced sharp cuts.

“It’s more confirmation that the pandemic has hit us really hard,” said Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Eric Gordon. To help students recover, the school system has extended summer school and added tuition after school.

“I don’t worry that they won’t or won’t be able to recover. I worry that the country won’t focus on catching the kids,” Gordon said.

The results reverse the progression of math scores, which had achieved significant gains since the 1990s. In comparison, there has been minimal change in the reading in recent years, so even slight drops this year brought the average back to 1992 levels.

However, the gap among students is the most worrying.

Racial disparities have increased during the pandemic, confirming what many feared. Black and Hispanic children experienced worse declines in fourth grade than white students, widening disparities that have persisted for decades.

The wide achievement gap between high and low achieving children was another indicator of inequalities. The lowest-performing children had the biggest declines in math and reading scores, widening the achievement gap between them and their peers.

Surveys conducted for this year’s trial show a difference.

The survey showed that high-performing students were more likely to have quiet areas, computers, and reliable access to help from their teachers when schools switched to distance learning.

The results make clear that schools must address “long-standing and systemic shortcomings of our education system,” said Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Los Angeles schools and member of the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policies for testing. determines.

“While the pandemic was a blow to schools and communities, we cannot use this as an excuse,” he said. “We have to remain committed to high standards and expectations and to help every child succeed.”

According to other recent studies, students who studied online for longer periods experienced more difficulties. But there is no clear correlation between NAEP results. According to the findings, cities that were more likely to be away for longer periods of time experienced fewer falls than suburban districts, but areas that returned to orbit faster experienced larger declines.

Los Angeles can claim one of the few bright spots in the results. The country’s second-largest school district saw a 9-point increase in reading scores for Class VIII, the only significant increase in any district. For other districts, it was just a feat to catch up with, as achieved by Dallas and Florida’s Hillsborough County.

Exams like NAEP have their opponents, but it cannot be denied that the competencies they seek to assess are important. According to statistics, students who struggle to read are more likely to drop out of school and be locked up in the criminal justice system. And Class VIII is considered as an important year to qualify for jobs in Mathematics, Science and Technology.

With Carr’s latest concerns about what will happen to children who are far behind in mastering those skills, the results spark the spark.

“We want our students to be globally prepared for STEM careers, science and technology, and engineering. It puts everyone at risk. We have to do a reset. This is a very serious issue, and it won’t go away on its own.” is going to happen,” she said.

(with inputs from AP)