Student Test Scores Down In Pandemic’s Aftermath

(KNSI) – Eighth grade students are performing at a 30-year low in the aftermath of the pandemic, according to new data released Monday.

The Minnesota Department of Education says the average math score across the state dropped from 291 to 280. The best mark possible is 300. Minnesota eighth graders saw a worse drop than other states. The national average fell by only eight points.

Fourth graders also scored significantly worse than the last time testing was conducted in 2019. Minnesota elementary students now lag the country overall in reading performance. In math, performance fell by nine points, almost twice the decline as the 50-state average of a five point drop

Teachers’ unions say this was predictable and the toll on students from the pandemic is mostly a result in staffing shortages that have occurred in the wake of COVID-19.

Education Minnesota President Denise Specht says, “Losing experienced educators hurts everyone, including students. The NAEP [National Assessment of Educational Performance] scores are disappointing, but delaying action on the challenges students and educators are facing right now would be much, much worse.”

Specht says it is more productive to focus on fixes and future actions than to rehash the debate over whether schools were kept closed for too long.

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