While a pandemic drop-off in nationwide reading and math scores on “The Nation’s Report Card” is being called “appalling” by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Hawaii’s public-school scores surprised local officials by holding relatively steady in three out of four categories, declining significantly only in eighth grade math.
The latest results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation’s Report Card, show how deeply the pandemic hurt overall learning across the U.S. and widened gaps between higher- and lower-performing students, federal education officials said.
Nationally, the average mathematics score for eighth graders dropped eight points (to 274 from 282, out of 500 possible), while fourth graders fell five points (to 236 from 241) compared with the last time the assessment was given in 2019. They were the largest declines ever recorded in math on the NAEP since the test was established in 1990. The national scores include both public and private schools while results given for states and districts reflect only data from public schools.
In reading, national average scores for both grades fell three points (to 217 from 220 at fourth grade, and to 260 from 263 at eighth grade), according to the data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.
“As your secretary of education, I want to be very clear: The results in today’s Nation’s Report Card are appalling and unacceptable,” Cardona said in a news conference. “They are a reminder of the impact this pandemic had on our learners and the important work we must do now for our students.
“This is a moment of truth for education,” Cardona continued. “How we respond to this will determine not only our recovery, but our nation’s standing in the world.”
The declines in math scores for eighth graders are especially concerning, federal officials said.
“Eighth grade is a pivotal moment in students’ mathematics education, as they develop key mathematics skills for further learning and potential careers in mathematics and science,” said Daniel J. McGrath, acting associate commissioner for assessment at the National Center for Education Statistics. “If left unaddressed, this could alter the trajectories and life opportunities of a whole cohort of young people, potentially reducing their abilities to pursue rewarding and productive careers in mathematics, science and technology.”
Since 1969 the NAEP has been the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what students in public and private schools know and are able to do in various subjects. Between January and March of this year, NAEP math and reading assessments were given to 224,400 fourth graders and 222,200 eighth graders in public and private schools in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity schools, Puerto Rico (math only) and 26 urban districts.
Data in the report reflects representative samples of the tests.
Most isle results stable
Hawaii’s state average scores, which included only public school students, were classified as “no change” in fourth grade math, fourth grade reading and eighth grade reading. “That’s something we were actually kind of surprised to see,” said the state Department of Education’s NAEP coordinator, Dewey Gottlieb. “I was expecting, as a result of the challenges that schools and students and families have experienced with the pandemic, that we would have seen a decline in scores, but we did not see that across the board.”
>> Eighth grade math: This was the only data category in which Hawaii had a significant decline, with the average score dropping to 270 this year from 275 in 2019.
Nearly all other states and jurisdictions also registered declines in eight grade math. The only ones to see “no change” in their average math scores were Utah and U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity schools. Not one state or large urban district increased its average score in mathematics for fourth graders or eighth graders.
>> Fourth grade math: Hawaii was one of only 10 states and jurisdictions whose average math scores were categorized as “no change” since 2019, even though Hawaii’s average score inched downward, to 237 from 239. All others’ decreased.
>> Reading: Hawaii was classified as “no change” in average reading scores for both grades, even though they each rose one point, to 219 from 218 for fourth graders, and to 259 from 258 for eighth graders.
Across the U.S., Department of Defense Education Activity schools were the only ones to improve their average reading score for only eighth graders. No other jurisdiction or state showed improved average reading scores for either grade.
The local scores also indicated that learning gaps stubbornly persist. Hawaii eighth graders whose family income challenges made them eligible for the National School Lunch Program, for instance, had an average score that was 22 points lower than that for students who were not eligible. The gap was not significantly different from that in 2000, federal officials said.
Nevertheless, Hawaii’s overall ability to keep most scores relatively stable during the pandemic owes to multiple factors, DOE officials said in a media availability.
State schools Superintendent Keith Hayashi praised the dedication of DOE teachers and staff, and the resilience of Hawaii students. He said last school year’s emphasis on returning to in-person learning, and the department’s ongoing systems using assessment data to track students’ progress and fine-tune teaching, have played important roles.
That Hawaii is the nation’s only statewide school system promotes efficiency and consistency in policies and classroom teaching, Gottlieb added. For instance, Hawaii’s consistent small increases in fourth grade reading scores over the past 15 years owe partly to the fact that every elementary school has a literacy coordinator promoting reading across multiple subject areas, he said.
But DOE officials say they will reexamine how middle school math is being taught. “Our teachers are working really, really hard; they always have. But our eighth grade mathematics data is telling us that we need to look into that,” Gottlieb said.
