Test scores among teenagers see sharp drop following remote schooling during pandemic

Math and reading scores among 13-year-olds in the United States have hit their lowest levels in years, according to data released on Wednesday from the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Math scores for 13-year-olds are the lowest they’ve been since 1990, and reading scores have not been this low since 2004.

Thirteen-year-olds scored an average of 256 out of 500 in reading, and 271 out of 500 in math on the NAEP standardized test last fall, down from three years ago when 13-year-olds scored 260 in reading and 280 in math on average.

Test scores have been on a decades-long decline, but took a noticeable dive during the 2019-2020 school year, when many schools closed their doors and switched to online learning due to the pandemic.

The drop in performance was steepest among low income, black and Native American students, according to The New York Times.

“The bottom line — these results show that there are troubling gaps in the basic skills of these students,” said Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, which administers the NAEP exam.

The NAEP exam is one of the few nationally administered standardized tests, making the results easy to track and compare.

There are few incentives to cheat on the NAEP or teach to the test, because there are no rewards or punishments for students, teachers or schools, according to The New York Times.

The percentage of 13-year-olds enrolled in algebra has dropped to 24 percent from 34 percent in 2012, according to a student survey given alongside the test. In California and other states, there has been a growing push to level the playing field of math education by enrolling fewer eighth graders in advanced math.

Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona released a statement saying "it would take years of effort and investment to reverse the damage" and the pandemic’s impact on learning.