‘Appalling and unacceptable’: Texas students struggle, test results reveal widespread loss

The lingering impact of the pandemic’s disruptions on Texas students’ academic achievement was laid bare Monday with the release of new test results revealing steep declines in math. Scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress — more commonly called the nation’s report card — found Texas’ fourth graders scored, on average, lower in math than they have since 2003. Its eighth graders, meanwhile, saw a 7-point decline in their average scores since 2019. NAEP measures how well fourth and eighth graders do in math and reading to get a sense of how students are performing on a national level over time. About 38% of fourth-graders in Texas scored proficient in math, down from 44% in 2019. In reading, about 30% of those students were proficient — roughly the same as in 2019, though still a number that education advocates and families find painfully low.

Texas is not alone in its struggle: The national average score declines in math were the largest ever recorded for the subject. No state or large urban district recorded any improvements in math. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona called the results “appalling and unacceptable.” “It’s an urgent call to action,” he said. “If we’re serious about leading the world in student achievement, where we belong, we must have an urgency now.” Gaps between racial groups persisted: Black students in Texas had an average math score that was 26 points lower than white students, while Hispanic students averaged 21 points lower. Many education officials predicted this year’s results would provide the clearest picture yet of the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on students — and the long road ahead for catching them up. Though some states, including Texas, have seen improvement on state-level tests since the onset of the pandemic, the contrast between how students are performing on NAEP now compared with how they scored before 2020 is stark. Texas’ biggest tool for catching up students after the pandemic is tutoring, but the effort has been hampered by staff shortages and logistical challenges. Some districts have also extended the school year or restructured the day to maximize learning time.