Latest U.S. test scores show major learning loss in math, reading

Published 12:00 am Friday, October 28, 2022

The National Assessment of Educational Progress reported the largest ever decline of national average scores for reading and math this week. The latest data indicates massive learning loss among students during the pandemic.

Nearly every state saw reading and mathematics scores of fourth and eighth graders decline in 2022, compared with 2019, the last time the federal tests were administered.

Oregon ranked in the bottom 10 states and territories for average scores among fourth graders in math, coming in seven points below the national average score. Eighth graders performed slightly better — only three points below the national average score. In reading, Oregon’s fourth graders came in about six points below average. Eighth graders were about average.

Overall, no state showed improvement in mathematics scores since 2019 and most states showed declines.

“The results show the profound toll on student learning during the pandemic, as the size and scope of the declines are the largest ever in mathematics,” Peggy G. Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, said in a news release Oct. 24. “The results also underscore the importance of instruction and the role of schools in both students’ academic growth and their overall wellbeing. It’s clear we all need to come together — policymakers and community leaders at every level — as partners in helping our educators, children, and families succeed.”

Test data show only 22% of Oregon eighth graders and 29% of fourth graders were at or above proficient in math. On reading tests, 28% of Oregon fourth and eighth graders were proficient or better.

While Oregon students’ math and reading scores declined since the pandemic, they were never high to begin with. In 2019, Oregon ranked 36th in average scores for fourth grade reading and 42nd in math. In 2013, Oregon was 33rd in reading and 34th in math, among fourth graders.

Curious how you’d do on a test? Test yourself with a sample pop quiz. At the dropdown menu, select a grade level and subject to be quizzed on.

Who ranked higher?

Comparatively, Wyoming showed the highest proficiency rates in fourth grade math, with 44% of fourth graders at or above proficiency levels. Among eighth graders tested, Massachusetts was the highest, at 35% proficiency in math.

Home environment played major role

NAEP, also known as the Nation’s Report Card, noted that, “across both subjects and grades, higher percentages of higher-performing students (students performing at or above the 75th percentile) had access to key educational resources than lower-performing students (students performing below the 25th percentile) during remote learning in the 2020—21 school year.” Resources included:

• Access to a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet all the time;

• A quiet place to work at least some of the time;

• Their teacher available to help with schoolwork at least once or twice a week; and

• For eighth-graders, real-time video lessons with their teacher every day or almost every day.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress is different from Oregon’s state standardized tests. A federally mandated program, NAEP tests are considered “the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what students in public and private schools in the United States know and are able to do in various subjects.”