‘Nation’s Report Card’: Pandemic Disruption Erodes 20 Years of Growth in Math, Reading Scores

There are decades of academic research in cognitive psychology that supports the case for a content-rich, fact-filled curriculum such as Alberta is developing. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

American 9-year-olds suffered a dismal drop in their math and reading scores during the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest federal assessment data shows.

The report released Thursday by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), popularly known as the “Nation’s Report Card,” paints a bleak picture of how decades of academic progress were erased in the past two years, a period marked by prolonged school closures, on-and-off remote learning, and amplified social isolation.