At the end of October, the National Assessment Governing Board released the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Mathematics and Reading results, the most comprehensive data we’ve seen on how our students’ achievement has fared since the start of the pandemic.
The headlines direct from the Nation’s Report Card are alarming:
- “Largest score declines in NAEP mathematics at grades 4 and 8 since initial assessments in 1990”
- “Scores decline in NAEP reading at grades 4 and 8 compared to 2019″
In summary, as compared to 2019, our students’ average scores declined in both subjects and grades, and Colorado students were no exception in that data. The results also showed students’ confidence in their mathematics and reading skills declined.
The release of the NAEP scores must be a clarion call for us all in public education. They are a reminder that the impact of the pandemic will continue to be felt by an entire generation of students if we don’t work together now to ensure federal recovery dollars are spent on the highest impact, research-driven supports. All families deserve access to a high-quality school that helps them reach their greatest potential, and my sincere hope is we can look back on this moment and remember it as a turning point in education where we put students first.
Scott Laband, President, Colorado Succeeds
It is important to note that, like most assessments, these results are better at telling us the “what” about what children in our country are learning, more so than the “why.”
That said, there has been extensive coverage of these results and work by many experts in the field to draw conclusions about their meaning. We’ve pulled together some highlights in coverage from these results, both objective and subjective. Click the links below to learn more.
Overview & Data
- The Nation’s Report Card
- NAEP State Profile: Colorado
- Chalkbeat Colorado: NAEP test results show big declines in math, wide gaps among Colorado students
- The Colorado Sun: NAEP test results show big declines in math, wide gaps among Colorado students
- 9News: Test scores show historic COVID setbacks for kids across US
- KOAA: School testing scores drop to levels unseen for decades (koaa.com)
- The74: Study: Damage from NAEP Math Losses Could Total Nearly $1 Trillion
- The74: The $1.1 Billion Math Solution? Gates Foundation Makes Math Its Top K-12 Priority
- K-12 Dive: These 6 charts highlight COVD-19s impact on NAEP scores
- Local today: NAEP test scores show large declines in math, large gaps among Colorado students
Opinions
- Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona via Department of Education: Remarks by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on Nation’s Report Card
- Andrew Rotherham via The74: Parents Are Owed the Truth About Learning Loss. NAEP Proves It
- Rick Hess via Education Week: A Closer Look at NAEP Declines: What a Leading Ed. Researcher Finds Surprising
- Van Schoales via Boardhawk: Ignoring Denver’s dismal NAEP results won’t make them vanish
