2022 U.S. Student Test Scores at Historic Low

Pointing to the COVID-19 pandemic, American student test scores are at historic lows. While math scores saw their largest decreases ever, reading scores dropped to 1992 levels—not a single state saw a dramatic improvement in their average test scores.

“It is a serious wakeup call for us all,” Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, a branch of the Education Department, said in an AP interview. “In NAEP, when we experience a 1- or 2-point decline, we’re talking about it as a significant impact on a student’s achievement. In math, we experienced an 8-point decline—historic for this assessment.”

The NAEP test is usually given every two years. It was taken between January and March by a sample of students in every state, along with 26 of the nation’s largest school districts. Several major districts saw test scores fall by more than 10 points. Cleveland saw the largest single drop, falling 16 points in fourth-grade reading and Baltimore 14 points. Confirming that the  growth of racial inequities have widened during the pandemic.“Black and Hispanic students saw bigger decreases than white students, widening gaps that have persisted for decades.” Moreover, educational inequities were also seen in a growing gap between higher and lower performing students. In math and reading, scores fell most sharply among the lowest performing students.

The Nardagani Reading Program invites you to learn more about our teaching methodology to help combat these poor test scores. From literacy specialists to middle school teachers to ESL instructors, professionals who frequently work with challenged readers who have been diagnosed with a reading disability and qualify for IEP (Individual Education Program), know The Nardagani Reading Program works. Moreover, teachers who used the Nardagani Reading Program, during teacher-based research studies that were implemented in the United States public school system, saw student reading improvement and the data gathered was dramatic. 

Click here to learn more about the Nardagani Reading Program and watch Narda’s TEDx talk, “A New Way to Learn to Read English.”

Binkley, Collin. “Test Scores Show Historic COVID Setbacks for Kids across US.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 24 Oct. 2022, https://apnews.com/article/science-health-government-and-politics-covid-education-39e01a570b560c685b5340078c8dcdee.