PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Reading scores had their largest drop in 30 years, and math results declined for the first time since the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests began in the 1970s.
Because few standardized tests were administered early in the pandemic, this report provides one of the first indications of how COVID disrupted education.
“My reaction was, ‘Of course,’” said Dan O’Brien, an education coordinator with the Philadelphia advocacy nonprofit Children First.
Math scores dropped by 13 points for black students, compared to 5 points for white students.
“We certainly could have been back a little bit sooner,” said O’Brien. “I think our kids are a little bit further behind because of that.”
O’Brien feels that students who returned to in-person learning couldn’t be expected to just pick up where they left off to narrow that gap.
“What is really alarming to me is that it’s not something that you can make up within the classroom. Unless you really go back to the basics,” said O’Brien. “That’s going to take a lot more effort beyond classroom time.”
O’Brien believes the results show the need for innovation and investments if students are to make up that lost ground.
“If you drop 12 points, that’s almost equating to 36 weeks of instruction,” said O’Brien. “That is a long time in a kid’s life at 9 years old.”
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