Kids' test scores began declining way before COVID. These schools are making gains
The latest Education Scorecard from Stanford and Harvard reveals U.S. student test scores in math and reading have been declining since 2013, long before the COVID-19 pandemic, with most states now showing gains in math due to federal relief funding and legislative changes in reading instruction. Researchers attribute the decline to the fading impact of No Child Left Behind accountability measures and note that racial achievement gaps had previously narrowed until the downturn began.
A new report from the Education Scorecard, an annual analysis by Stanford University’s Educational Opportunity Project and Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research, confirms that the decline in U.S. student test scores in math and reading began years before the COVID-19 pandemic. The data, covering most states and Washington D.C., shows a decade-long "learning recession" starting around 2013, with scores steadily dropping even before the pandemic disrupted education. The report highlights progress in math for most states, partly driven by federal relief funds that helped low-income districts recover. Reading gains remain limited, but states that have improved scores made legislative changes to how reading is taught. Researchers note that while math achievement rose steadily from 1990 to 2013—closing racial gaps—the decline since then stands out as unusual. Stanford’s Sean Reardon and Harvard’s Thomas Kane argue that the drop in scores was not solely due to the pandemic, as declines in reading began four to six years earlier. They point to the weakening of test-based accountability under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) as a key factor, with 38 states receiving waivers from its strict requirements by 2013. The shift away from accountability measures may have contributed to the stagnation in student performance. The Scorecard excludes some states due to recent test changes (Illinois, Kansas), high opt-out rates (New York, Colorado), or lack of detailed district data. Despite these gaps, the analysis underscores the need for targeted policies to reverse the trend and restore progress in education equity.
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