National test scores released for states across the country Monday show the severe effect of the pandemic on learning in Maryland – with the state’s drops on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests being some of the largest in the nation.
The NAEP is an assessment of fourth and eighth-grade students in reading and math given every other year. The assessment measures achievement at four levels – below basic, basic, proficient and advanced – and is considered the “nation’s report card” for educational benchmarks.
Maryland experienced the largest decline in proficiency in math – mirroring a nationwide trend. Roughly 75% of Maryland eighth-grade students and 69% of fourth graders are at or below basic achievement. The state had the fourth-largest decline in eighth-grade math scores in the nation.
While 35% of fourth graders in Maryland were proficient in reading in 2019, that number dipped to 31% in 2022. The percentage of fourth-grade students proficient in math declined by eight points from 2019 – with 31% proficiency in 2022.
Test results indicate that a majority of Maryland fourth and eighth-grade students were not proficient in math or reading. Student achievement in the state dropped to 1998 levels, with the state’s most vulnerable students – including students of color and students from low-income households – experiencing more significant declines.
Black students saw declines in eighth-grade reading and math, as well as fourth-grade math. Hispanic students experienced decreases in fourth-grade reading and math, as well as eighth-grade math.
State Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury said Maryland’s test results “underscore the unacceptable opportunity and achievement gaps that continue to persist for Maryland’s Black, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged students,” in a Monday news release.
Maryland has experienced a downward trend in its NAEP performance since 2013, Choudhury said. Because of that, students’ current struggles “cannot be solely attributed to the pandemic,” he added.
“There is no sugar coating these results,” Choudhury said. “A return to normal is not enough.”
Nationwide results from the test indicate troubling setbacks for students, showing major declines in math and reading. Most states saw the same decline in all categories that Maryland did.
The decline in performance comes as the state sets out to implement the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a 10-year plan to overhaul education that will invest billions into schools over the next decade. The state must take major steps in the coming years to mitigate massive learning loss in the state, Choudhury said.
“We must be innovative, collaborative and bold in our approaches to enhance and accelerate student achievement,” Choudhury said.
