Reports Indicate U.S. Student Test Score Declines Began Before COVID-19 Pandemic

1-Minute Brief

Understanding the timeline of student achievement declines may influence how educators and policymakers address learning recovery.

Key Facts

• Multiple sources report that declines in U.S. student test scores started years before the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Researchers have described the current situation as a 'reading recession.'
• Some states are now seeing improvements in student performance, according to recent reports.
• Warnings about ongoing declines in reading scores have been issued by researchers.
• The narrative that pandemic disruptions solely caused learning losses is being reconsidered in light of new findings.

What Happened

Recent reports indicate that U.S. student test scores, particularly in reading, began declining before the COVID-19 pandemic. Some states are reportedly making gains in reversing these trends.

Why It Matters

Recognizing that academic declines predate the pandemic may affect how interventions are designed and which factors are prioritized in educational policy and practice.

What's Next

Observers will watch for further data on student performance and the effectiveness of state-level efforts to improve test scores.