More bad news for test scores: 13-year-olds see major drop in reading and math

Math and reading scores have taken another blow as schools struggle to rein in pandemic learning loss, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

Average math scores for 13-year-olds fell nine points from the 2019-2020 academic year to the current one, according to the NAEP’s Nation’s Report Card. Average reading scores fell four points over the same time. 

Average scores for 13-year-olds in reading are at their lowest point since 2004 — and in mathematics since 1990. But for the lowest-performing students, scores in math are thrown back to 1978, while reading has dropped to levels seen before 1971. 

“The ‘green shoots’ of academic recovery that we had hoped to see have not materialized, as we continue to see worrisome signs about student achievement and well-being more than two years after most students returned for in-person learning,” said NCES Commissioner Peggy Carr about the national test scores, which were released early Wednesday morning.

In math, scores for most racial groups over the pandemic dropped between six points and 20 points, except for Asian American students, who did not see a statistically measurable difference but still had a slight decrease. 

In reading, scores declined for white students, Black students and those of two or more races. Students attending Catholic schools, along with Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native and Asian students, did not see a measurable difference.

While the pandemic has certainly accelerated a decline, math and reading scores have been falling over the past decade.

“Scores for 13-year-olds declined for the first time in both subjects between 2012 and 2020, beginning a downward trajectory that has lasted for more than a decade, and has not been reversed. Middle school is a critical time for students—a time when they are maturing academically as well as socially and emotionally. What happens for students in middle school can strongly influence their path through high school and beyond,” said NCES acting Associate Commissioner Dan McGrath. 

NCES also conducted a questionnaire survey for students to gather more information on the situation, but warned the answers “do not establish a cause-and-effect relationship between the characteristic or experience and student achievement.”

It was found that students missing five or more days of scores has doubled since 2020, and, unsurprisingly, those who are in school more often got better reading and math scores. 

Only 14 percent of students reported reading for fun almost every day, three points lower than in 2020 and 13 points lower than in 2012. For math, the number of students taking algebra dropped 24 percent from 2012 to 2023.  

The results show a continuing trend with other NAEP reports over the pandemic that found other students such as fourth graders have also suffered serious setbacks. 

For between 2019 and 2022, NAEP released data in October showing math scores fell five points for fourth graders and eight points for eighth graders. In reading, both grades fell three points.

For average civics scores, eighth graders had a two-percent decrease between 2018 and 2022, setting them back to levels last seen in 1998, according to another data set released in May.

“If there’s something coming out of the comparison to nine to 13-year-olds is the fact that the the 13-year-olds were at a vulnerable state, this time period in their developmental — academic developmental cycle,” Carr said. 

This is the last special report NAEP is conducting in its examination of scores between the beginning and end of the COVID-19 pandemic, putting little hope in the current recovery after many students have been in-person for class for the past two years. 

“The bottom line is these results show that they are troubling gaps in the basic skills of the students,” Carr said in a press briefing. 

“The big message here is that it is a long road ahead of us,” Carr added. 

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona took an optimistic tone with the steps the administration is taking to combat these losses in students’ academic achievement. 

“While this latest data reminds us how far we still need to go, I’m encouraged that the historic investments and resources provided by the American Rescue Plan and the Department of Education are beginning to show positive results, with several states returning to pre-pandemic levels of achievement on their state math and literacy assessments, as well as promising results for the U.S. on a recent international reading assessment,” Cardona said.