Reading and Mathematics Scores Decline During Covid-19 Pandemic

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posted by Laura Callisen 14 Sep 2022

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According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), there is a significant decline in the reading and mathematics assessments if one compares the current report scores to 2020. Average scores for students declined 5 points in reading and 7 points in mathematics. The primary reason for reading and mathematics scores decline relates to the learning challenges that have taken place during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Student Performance Trends

Starting with the estimation of the trends, NCES observes the largest score drop in reading since 1990. The average scores for students aged nine have declined five points in reading, which is a serious issue to consider. Speaking of mathematics, we have the first ever drop from a 241 scale score to 234 points. It shows that we do not have a particular problem with the humanitarian sciences or an ability to calculate. The problem lies much deeper in the new learning methods that have taken place online, thus creating a learning gap and a lack of attention among students. As we have a seven-point decline in mathematics as we compare 2022 to 2020, it becomes obvious that the Covid-19 pandemic is to blame.

As the students have been forced to study remotely, it’s not surprising that student performance trends have declined because the teachers could not just their teaching methods or keep everyone’s attention span up to specific standards.

Remote Learning Challenges

There have been all types of educational challenges, not only for teachers. The young minds and parents also had to cope with the technical issues and quickly turn their homes and domestic issues into a classroom. According to the same NCES statement, it’s the first time that we can explore the results of remote learning and the pandemic situation. At the same time, we cannot blame Covid-19 for the situation, as it has only helped to unfold the problems that have already been there before. There are also many new challenges like cyberbullying or lack of emotional belonging. The main objective today is not to cast the blame, but to unite our efforts and be the change we want to see as we teach.

Addressing The Crisis

Although the decline is quite alarming, as many healthcare specialists confirm, there’s still hope that coming back to classroom-style studies will help to remedy the situation. It might take time, yet every crisis in education can be solved by an interdisciplinary approach and analysis of the current learning trends.

Laura Callisen

Blog writer for GrabMyEssay

Hello!

Hello there! I am Laura Callisen, and I fancy myself to be a modern “Renaissance person.” I suppose my 30-something self began my incredible journey after having been born in Stavanger, Norway and then immigrating to the U.S. (Utah, actually) at the age of 5. I am certain that this change was more of a cultural “shock” for my parents than for me, because I quickly mastered the language and was clever enough to “play the game” of public education in America. After graduating from Skyline High School, where I spent two years as the school newspaper editor, obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in English and journalism from the University of Utah was a natural culmination of my love for writing.

My inclination to be socially conscious led me to lots of community outreach and volunteering during my college years, especially in the areas of educational and housing improvement for the poor and a number of environmental crusades. My passion for philosophy and travel have now taken over, and I am enthralled with the widely varied value systems of all cultures in which I can immerse myself, if only temporarily. My life as a freelance writer allows a freedom I never want to sacrifice for a stuffy office!

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