American teens post lowest reading and math scores in decades

The pandemic is only part of the reason why scores appear to be worsening

Math and reading skills among 13-year-olds in the United States has reportedly hit its lowest level in decades (PA) (PA Archive)

Math and reading skills among 13-year-olds in the United States haved reportedly hit their lowest level in decades, according to new data.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress released test score data on Wednesday showing the decline.

The last time students of the same age tested as low in math was 1990, and the last time they tested as low in reading was 2004, according to the New York Times.

Performance numbers have decreased significantly since the 2019-2020 school year when the pandemic disrupted students' education.

But the pandemic is not the only culprit, as the downward trend appears to have begun a year before the world shut down.

Data was taken from the NAEP, a federal standardized test, in the fall of 2022. The test focused on basic reading skills found that 13-year-olds scored an average of 256 out of 500 in reading, and a basic math score returned scores of 271 out of 500.

In 2020, students from the same age taking the same standardized test scored 260 in reading and 280 in math.

Children who are 13 now were 10 during the time of the pandemic, typically the age at which children are in fourth or fifth grade.

That is a crucial age for children's foundational skill development. Peggy Carr, the commissioner of the National Centre for Education Statistics, told the New York Times the decline represents a "huge-scale challenge."

“The bottom line — these results show that there are troubling gaps in the basic skills of these students,” she told the paper. “This is a huge-scale challenge that faces the nation.”

Declines were noted across race, class and geographic lines, though children from vulnerable communities — including Black, Native American, and poor families — experienced more severe drops.

The most recent NAEP report is the final major release expected on pandemic learning loss from the government.