NJ Math, Reading Scores Down After Pandemic Slide: Report

NEW JERSEY— There’s no question the coronavirus pandemic upended learning in New Jersey, but fourth and eighth graders’ decreasing test scores in math and reading show just how much, according to an achievement assessment known as the Nation’s Report Card.

The report card, released Wednesday by the National Center for Education Statistics, also revealed a worrisome trend for democracy — slides in U.S. history and civics test scores, according to NCES Commissioner Peggy G. Carr.

The report from the NCES, an arm of the Education Department’s institute of Education Sciences, looks at the key measurements of math and reading proficiency in 2022 compared with 2019, before the COVID-19 interruptions in learning.

In 2022, scores on the fourth and eighth grade National Assessment of Educational Progress math tests were the lowest since the initial assessments in 1990. Reading scores also declined nationally.

The report shows that New Jersey public school students have significantly higher scores in math and reading than the national average, at both the fourth and eighth grade levels. However, students got lower scores in 2022 than they did in 2019 for both measures.

In New Jersey public schools:

Fourth graders scored an average of 239.23 on math tests in 2022, which is lower than their average score in 2019 (245.93) and higher than their average score in 2003 (238.78). On those tests:

• 39.42 percent of fourth graders scored at or above the proficiency level in math, compared to 48.16 percent in 2019.
• 77.01 percent of fourth graders scored at or above the basic level in math, compared to 85.24 percent in 2019.

Eighth graders scored an average of 280.89 on math tests in 2022, which is lower than their average score in 2019 (291.82) and lower than their average score in 2003 (281.41). On those tests:

• 33.14 percent of eighth graders scored at or above the proficiency level in math, compared to 44.09 percent in 2019.
• 67.17 percent of eighth graders scored at or above the basic level in math, compared to 75.87 percent in 2019.

On 2022 reading tests, fourth graders scored an average of 222.73, which is lower than their average score in 2019 (227.19) and lower than their average score in 2003 (225.07). On those tests:

• 38.02 percent of fourth graders scored at or above the proficiency level in reading, compared to 41.90 percent in 2019.
• 67.37 percent of fourth graders scored at or above the basic level in reading, compared to 71.99 percent in 2019.

Eighth graders scored an average of 269.78 on reading tests in 2022, which is lower than their average score in 2019 (270.36) and higher than their average score in 2003 (267.79). On those tests:

• 41.58 percent of eighth graders scored at or above the proficiency level in reading, compared to 42.87 percent in 2019.
• 76.89 percent of eighth graders scored at the basic level in reading, compared to 76.51 percent in 2019.

The report didn’t break out how New Jersey eighth graders performed on U.S. history and civics tests, but the drop in scores nationally is “a national concern,” Carr, the NCES commissioner, said in a news release.

“Self-government depends on each generation of students leaving school with a complete understanding of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship,” she said. “But far too many students are struggling to understand and explain the importance of civic participation, how American government functions, and the historical significance of events.”

U.S. history test scores have dropped since 2018 among all students except among the very top-performing students. In civics, scores declined for lower- and middle-performing students and did not change for higher-performing students.

The number of students who performed below the basic level increased in both subjects, and about 4 in 10 eighth graders performed below the basic level in history.

Only 13 percent of eighth graders scored at or above the national proficiency level in U.S. history, the lowest proportion to reach that level in any subject on the tests, Dan McGrath, the acting associate commissioner of the NCES, said in the news release.

Only about one-fifth of students were at or above proficiency levels in civics, which is the second-lowest proportion of students reaching that level in any subject, he said. This was the first decline ever recorded by the civics assessment.

Patch’s national desk contributed to this report.