Math, Reading Scores Plummeted to Lowest Level in Decades during School Shutdowns

Elementary school students’ math and reading scores plummeted to the lowest level in decades amid the school shutdowns implemented in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, national test results released Thursday show.

In math, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which has dubbed itself the “nation’s report card,” reported a first ever score drop among nine-year-olds since it was first administered in 1973. Their reading scores dropped by the largest margin since 1990, the New York Times reported, indicating a serious setback for literacy acquisition. The assessment also measured the window between 2020, when Covid-19 erupted, and 2022. Average...