U.S. report says U.S. student achievement declines across the board due to pandemic

　　China News Agency, Washington, October 24 (Reporter Sha Hanting) A national education evaluation report released by the National Center for Education Statistics on the 24th shows that due to the impact of the new crown epidemic, American students' performance has declined across the board, especially in mathematics.

　　The assessment, called the National Assessment of Educational Proficiency (NAEP), is considered the "most comprehensive assessment" of student achievement in elementary and middle schools in the United States.

The assessment selects a sample of students in fourth and eighth grades in 50 states in the United States to examine their math and reading abilities.

Fourth- and eighth-grade students in all states saw declines in math and reading, the report found.

　　The National Center for Education Statistics is part of the U.S. Department of Education.

The center's director, Peggy G. Carr, said the report provided "a clear picture of how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting student learning."

Among them, students' decline in mathematics achievement was "serious and concerning".

　　The data shows that compared to the 2019 NAEP results, this year's students have seen declines in both reading and math.

Among them, the math average dropped by 8 points, the largest drop since the NAEP assessment began in 1969.

Eighth graders scored an average math score of 282 in 2019 on a 500-point test, down to 274 this year.

The proportion of students assessed as "proficient and above" fell to 27% from 34% in 2019.

　　The data also shows that the academic achievement gap between different ethnic groups has widened further.

Evaluations of fourth-graders showed that African-American and Latino students declined more than white students.

　　The analysis believes that the transition of school education to online due to the new crown epidemic is the main reason for the decline in students' performance, and whether there is a quiet environment, computers and the help of teachers are the main factors affecting the effect of online education.

　　U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said this year's student performance as shown by the NAEP was "unacceptable" and that schools needed to do everything in their power to take steps to make the most of Congressional funding to help students recover.

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