National report suggest decline in math, reading test scores in students

ATLANTA - New education report shows the largest decline in nationwide math and reading scores among American students since 1990

A new education report released shows an alarming decline in test scores of elementary and middle school students nationwide since the start of the pandemic.

The 2022 report released Monday from the National Association of Education Progress, also known as the Nation’s Report Card, found declines in both math and reading scores in 4th and 8th grade students from all demographic groups in most states from 2019 to 2022.

"We’re in an even greater crisis than anything we’ve ever known now," Evelyn Shaw-Corley of Thrive International Academy, a private tutoring organization, said.

Shaw-Corley said numbers in the new report released by the NAEP now highlight the glaring impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young learners.

"The lack of opportunities for in person instruction, all the stresses that teachers felt, that parents felt, that kids felt showed up in test scores—particularly math," Learn 4 Life Executive Director Dr. Ken Zeff said.

Georgia did not see a significant change in reading scores in either grade or in fourth grade math, but the state’s 8th grade math score fell by 8 points.

"What we found from NAEP was discouraging but not surprising…students have really struggled during the pandemic," Zeff said.

Zeff is the founder of Learn 4 Life—a partner organization to metro Atlanta’s school districts that analyzes student performance through data. He said the report is clear evidence of several years of lost progress.

"This is the largest drop of NAEP in two decades," Zeff stated.

Evelyn Shaw-Corley, the founder of Thrive International Academy, said larger class sizes than ever have also contributed to the decline.

"There’s so many students in a big classroom. We’ve got students who are on grade level and we’ve got students who are two grade levels behind," she explained.

While the numbers depict a negative trend, Zeff says it’s an opportunity make changes that will help students in the long run, but will require a collaborative effort.

"It’s gonna take concerted effort from parents, educators, students, policymakers to get students back to where they should be."

Both Zeff and Shaw-Corley recommended parents look into other learning options outside of the classroom for additional assistance and help in smaller settings.