Math and reading scores for 13-year-olds have taken a nosedive in the US, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The average math score dropped nine points from the 2019-2020 academic year to the current one, while the average reading score fell four points over the same period. This is the lowest point for reading scores since 2004 and math scores since 1990.
But what’s more alarming is that for the lowest-performing students, math scores have been thrown back to 1978, and reading scores have dropped to levels seen before 1971. This is a worrying trend, considering that middle school is a critical time for students, influencing their academic and social and emotional maturity.
While the pandemic is certainly to blame for this decline, math and reading scores have been dropping over the past decade. Scores for 13-year-olds declined for the first time in both subjects between 2012 and 2020, marking a downward trajectory that has lasted for more than a decade.
There were also differences in scores by race. Students from almost every race and ethnicity saw math scores slide, but the steepest drops were among American Indian students, at 20 points, and Black students, at 13 points. The decline for white students, by comparison, was 6 points, while Asian students held even.
The pandemic setbacks are still lingering, despite schools across the US spending billions of dollars to help students catch up. The federal government sent historic sums of money to schools in 2021, allowing many to expand tutoring, summer classes, and other recovery efforts. However, the nation’s 13-year-olds, who were 10 when the pandemic started, are still struggling, according to Peggy G. Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics.
The results of the NAEP report also revealed a troubling increase in student absenteeism. The share of students missing five or more days of school in a month doubled since 2020, reaching 10% this year. Students with fewer missed days had higher average scores in both reading and math.
As if that wasn’t enough, the survey also showed that fewer students than ever are reading for fun every day. Just 14% reported daily reading for pleasure, down from 27% in 2012. This is tied to better social and academic outcomes. Almost a third of students said they never or hardly ever read for fun, up from 22% in 2012.
The bottom line is that these results show troubling gaps in the basic skills of students. However, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is optimistic about the steps the administration is taking to combat these losses in students’ academic achievement, saying that “the historic investments and resources provided by the American Rescue Plan and the Department of Education are beginning to show positive results.”
But as Carr said, “it is a long road ahead of us.” So let’s encourage our 13-year-olds to read more books and practice more math problems, while we continue to support them through this challenging time.
References
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