Student Test Scores

“The COVID-19 pandemic caused historic learning setbacks for America’s children… Across the country, math scores saw their largest decreases ever. Reading scores dropped to 1992 levels. Nearly four in 10 eighth graders failed to grasp basic math concepts. Not a single state saw a notable improvement in their average test scores, with some simply treading water at best…

“Those are the findings from the National Assessment of Educational Progress — known as the ‘nation’s report card’ — which tested hundreds of thousands of fourth and eighth graders across the country this year… In fourth grade, Black and Hispanic students saw bigger decreases than white students, widening gaps that have persisted for decades.” (AP News)

The right argues that schools should have opened sooner, and criticizes teachers’ unions.

The left argues that remote learning did not necessarily cause the learning loss, and calls for action to help students recover.