PA Math, Reading Scores Down After Pandemic Slide: Report

PENNSYLVANIA— There’s no question the coronavirus pandemic upended learning in Pennsylvania, but fourth and eighth graders’ 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.

In Pennsylvania, the report shows fourth- and eighth- graders are close to the national average on measures of reading and math, compared to 2019 when both grades had higher scores than the national average.

In Pennsylvania public schools:

Fourth graders scored an average of 237.54 on math tests in 2022, which is lower than their average score in 2019 (243.94) and higher than their average score in 2003 (235.95). On those tests:

• 40.24 percent of fourth graders scored at or above the proficiency level in math, compared to 47.23 percent in 2019.
• 76.03 percent of fourth graders scored at or above the basic level in math, compared to 81.32 percent in 2019.

Eighth graders scored an average of 274 on math tests in 2022, which is lower than their average score in 2019 (285) and lower than their average score in 2003 (279). On those tests:

• 27 percent of eighth graders scored at or above the proficiency level in math, compared to 39 percent in 2019.
• 62 percent of eighth graders scored at or above the basic level in math, compared to 70 percent in 2019.

On 2022 reading tests, fourth graders scored an average of 218.29, which is lower than their average score in 2019 (223.21) and slightly lower than their average score in 2003 (218.70). On those tests:

• 33.98 percent of fourth graders scored at or above the proficiency level in reading, compared to 39.71 percent in 2019.
• 64.38 percent of fourth graders scored at or above the basic level in reading, compared to 68.40 percent in 2019.

Eighth graders scored an average of 259 on reading tests in 2022, which is lower than their average score in 2019 (264) and lower than their average score in 2003 (also 264). On those tests:

• 31 percent of eighth graders scored at or above the proficiency level in reading, compared to 35 percent in 2019.
• 68 percent of eighth graders scored at the basic level in reading, compared to 73 percent in 2019.

The report didn’t break out how Pennsylvania 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.