Reading, math scores fell sharply during pandemic, data show

By COLLIN BINKLEY
AP Education Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new national study finds math and reading scores for America’s 9-year-old students fell sharply during the pandemic, underscoring the impact of two years of learning disruptions. Reading scores saw their largest decrease in 30 years, while math scores had their first decrease in the history of the testing regimen done by the National Center for Education Statistics, a branch of the federal government. A federal official said students are performing “at a level last seen two decades ago.” In math, the average score for 9-year-old students fell 7 percentage points between 2020 and 2022. The average reading score fell 5 points.