Decades of Student Progress Wiped Out; National Math and Reading Scores at Historic Lows: Report

Educator Scott Slivken helps his students solve math problems as he holds virtual office hours with his sixth grade students at the KIPP DC's Northeast Academy from his apartment in Washington on April 7, 2020. Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images

National math test scores in fourth and eighth grades showed the biggest drop since a national testing program began in 1990, and the reading level for the same grades reverted to a level from three decades ago.

Eighth-grade math performance has dropped eight points since 2019, and about a third of students in both grades can’t read at the minimum required level, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report.