COVID Toll On FL Students Shown In Achievement Tests, Especially Math

FLORIDA — Math and reading scores of students in Florida and the rest of the country declined over the past three years, especially in mathematics, according to a new “nation’s report card,” the first comprehensive analysis of the pandemic’s academic toll on America’s school children.

Nationally, nearly four in 10 eighth-graders failed to grasp basic math concepts in the biggest decline in math scores in decades, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, report released Monday by the National Center for Education Statistics.

Reading scores among fourth-graders also slid to the lowest level since 1990. The declines in fourth- and eighth-graders’ scores in mathematics were the largest ever recorded.

The achievement test given every two years to the nation’s fourth- and eighth-graders also showed reading scores are sliding. The NAEP test is mandated by Congress to measure students’ progress and learning experiences in various subjects. It hasn’t been given since 2019 because of the pandemic.

“It is a serious wake-up call for us all,” Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, a branch of the Education Department, told the Associated Press.

“In NAEP, when we experience a 1- or 2-point decline, we’re talking about it as a significant impact on a student’s achievement. In math, we experienced an 8-point decline — historic for this assessment,” she said.

Education researchers generally equate a 10-point decline with a year of learning.

Florida’s eighth-grade average math scores fell 8 points on a 500-point scale, (from 279 in 2019 to 271 this year). Fourth-grade scores slipped 5 points over the same period (from 246 to 241).

In reading, Florida’s fourth-graders’ scores stayed the same on a 500-point scale at 225 in both 2019 and this year. Eighth-graders’ average reading scores fell 3 points during the same period (from 263 to 260).

Nationally, the average mathematics score for fourth-graders has fallen 5 points since 2019 (from 241 to 236), while the score for eighth-graders dropped 8 points (from 282 to 274). In reading, average scores for both grades fell 3 points (from 220 to 217 at fourth grade and from 263 to 260 at eighth grade).

The math score declines are the largest ever recorded for the subject. None of the 50 states and the District of Columbia saw an increase in eighth-grade math scores, though Utah and the U.S. Department of Education Activity schools saw no change.

Overall, 38 percent of eighth graders’ scores were graded as “below basic,” a cutoff that measures, for example, whether students can find the third angle in a triangle if they’re given the other two. In 2019, 31 percent of eighth-graders scored below that level.

“Eighth grade is a pivotal moment in students’ mathematics education, as they develop key mathematics skills for further learning and potential careers in mathematics and science,” Daniel J. McGrath, acting NCES associate commissioner for assessment, said in a news release. “If left unaddressed, this could alter the trajectories and life opportunities of a whole cohort of young people, potentially reducing their abilities to pursue rewarding and productive careers in mathematics, science, and technology.”

Every region of the country saw test scores slide, and every state saw a decline in at least one subject. Several major districts saw test scores fall by more than 10 points.

Confirming what many had feared, racial inequities appear to have widened during the pandemic. In fourth grade, Black and Hispanic students saw bigger decreases than white students, widening gaps that have persisted for decades.

Inequities were also reflected in a growing gap between higher and lower performing students. In math and reading, scores fell most sharply among the lowest performing students, creating a widening chasm between struggling students and the rest of their peers.

Surveys done as part of this year’s test illustrate the divide.

When schools shifted to remote learning, higher performing students were far more likely to have reliable access to quiet spaces, computers and help from their teachers, the survey found.

The achievement gap isn’t a surprise. The pandemic upended nearly every aspect of American life, with millions of students learning from home for months or more.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said it’s a sign that schools need to redouble their efforts, using billions of dollars Congress gave schools to help students recover.

“Let me be very clear: these results are not acceptable,” Cardona said.

Carr said recovery isn’t as simple as a reset to pre-pandemic normalcy.

“Academic recovery cannot simply be about returning to what was ‘normal’ before the pandemic, as the pandemic laid bare an ‘opportunity gap’ that has long existed,” Carr said in the news release. “It also showed how every student was vulnerable to the pandemic’s disruptions. We do not have a moment to waste.”

The results make clear that schools must address the “long-standing and systemic shortcomings of our education system,” said Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Los Angeles schools and a member of the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets the policies for the test.

“While the pandemic was a blow to schools and communities, we cannot use it as an excuse,” he told the AP. “We have to stay committed to high standards and expectations and help every child succeed.”

Other recent studies have found that students who spent longer periods learning online suffered greater setbacks. But the NAEP results show no clear connection. Areas that returned to the classroom quickly still saw significant declines, and cities — which were more likely to stay remote longer — actually saw milder decreases than suburban districts, according to the results.

In Florida, students went back to school in person sooner than other states during the pandemic, putting them “well ahead of their peers, especially with younger and educationally at-risk students who were harmed the most from distance-learning in other states,” according to a news release from the Florida Department of Education.

This year, fourth- and eighth-grade students in Florida “earned the state’s highest-ever rankings in each assessment and demonstrated historic achievement gap closure for at-risk students at all levels,” the agency said. “Florida’s Hispanic students, Black students and students with disabilities all scored in the top 10 in every category.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis said, “We insisted on keeping schools open and guaranteed in-person learning in 2020 because we knew there would be widespread harm to our students if students were locked out. (The NAEP) results once again prove that we made the right decision.”

Nationwide, fourth-grade students ranked No. 3 in reading and No. 4 in math, making the top four in both English and math for the first time in the state’s history, FDOE said.

“If we are meant to measure our impact by how we elevate our young generation, especially those most at-risk, Florida is clearly the (No. 1) state in the nation in elevating its young people,” Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr said. “Florida’s Hispanic and Black students, students with unique abilities, and students on free and reduced-price lunch massively narrowed achievement gaps and proved the value of being in school in a classroom with their peers and learning in-person from Florida’s world-class teachers.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.