NASBE President Comments on Results of 2022 NAEP Long-Term Trend Assessment

Alexandria, VA — Paolo DeMaria, president and CEO of the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE), issued the following statement on the September 1 release of the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) long-term trend assessment in reading and mathematics. Administered by the National Center for Education Statistics, this assessment compared the performance of a sample of nine-year-olds across the nation in 2022 with a sample from 2020. The scores revealed a notable decline in overall performance, with the steepest drop in math.

The Nation’s Report Card gives us a clear view of the impact that COVID-19 had on most students’ foundational learning. We see declines in reading and math performance across regions, race/ethnicity, and across school settings—urban, suburban, town, and rural. Previous NAEP results already revealed signs of concern, with scores before the pandemic showing stagnation in math, declines in reading, and widened gaps between high and low performers.

These results emphasize the need for us all to hold fast to the longstanding goal of ensuring all students are prepared with the knowledge and skills they will need to succeed in future learning, careers, and life.

Masked by the high-level data are also glimmers of hope: those schools and districts that beat the odds and helped their students go farther and achieve more during the pandemic. Those school leaders focused on excellent leadership, quality teaching and learning, a strong cohesive staff culture, and a climate that supports, engages, and excites students. Identifying these places and learning all we can from the practices and strategies that they employ will be critical for creating the conditions for student success all across the country.

Guided by its Public Education Positions, NASBE is focused on helping state boards of education understand and take action that supports school improvement. Several states are engaged in NASBE’s Early Literacy Work Group to promote learning and action among states to increase young children’s reading success. We are also convening interested state board members to study contributors to improving math outcomes for all students. We urge members to bring a spirit of inquiry and a passion for advancing equity in education to bear in this endeavor.

NASBE serves as the only membership organization for state boards of education. A nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, NASBE elevates state board members’ voices in national and state policymaking, facilitates the exchange of informed ideas, and supports members in advancing equity and excellence in public education for students of all races, genders, and circumstances. Learn more at www.nasbe.org.

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