National test scores plunge, with still no sign of pandemic recovery
Washington PostJul 01, 2023
The Facts
On Wednesday, the release of the latest Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) showed that math scores among US 13-year-olds have seen the largest drop since the assessments began in 1973. The news highlights already declining scores that were exacerbated by the pandemic.
In a national sample of 8.7K 13-year-old students, the average math scores fell nine points between 2020 and 2023, from 280 to 271. Reading scores fell four points from 260 to 256, out of a possible 500.
The Spin
Republican narrative
The impact of the school closures forced on students will have an irreversible effect on the next generation. Keeping schools open didn't have a noticeable impact on COVID infections, while school closures have clearly had an effect on child development in crucial years. The Biden admin. overrode common practice at the command of intransigent teachers' unions, and students are now paying the price.
Democratic narrative
The latest NAEP data is concerning not only because of the decline in students' learning across the country but more specifically because of the downward trend that shows that achievement plummeted across race, class, and geography. This is further evidence of an ever-increasing racial gap in education that will take years of effort and investment to address.
Cynical narrative
The NAEP results are routinely trotted out to advance political agendas by people with little understanding of what they actually mean. NAEP standards are much more stringent than state and local standards, where the data is more meaningful. Half of the students at a "basic" NAEP level end up receiving a Bachelor's Degree, indicating it is not an accurate measure of competency. Any decline is bad news, but we ought to be skeptical of any apocalyptic messaging based on these numbers.
