DEVELOPING: Nation's Students Remain Stuck in Pandemic Learning Slump Amid Growing Concerns

Nation's Students Remain Stuck in Pandemic Learning Slump, New Data Reveals The nation's third- through eighth-graders are still struggling with reading skills, according to new testing data released today by NWEA, a K-12 testing and research organization. In math, student achievement has improved slightly, but remains behind pre-pandemic levels. Critical Details: Reading scores have not improved since the pandemic era. Math scores have improved slightly, but are still below 2019 levels. The data comes from NWEA's Spring 2025 MAP Growth assessment, which was taken by millions of students in thousands of U.S. schools. Background Context: The pandemic has had a significant impact on student learning, with many schools closing and switching to online instruction. This disruption has led to concerns about the long-term effects on student achievement. Current Status: The data suggests that reading skills are still lagging behind pre-pandemic levels, while math scores have shown some improvement. However, more work is needed to get students back on track. Next Developments: Education officials and policymakers will be analyzing the data and considering next steps to support student learning. This includes potential investments in teacher training and resources to help students catch up. This is a developing story. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available. *This is a developing story. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available. Based on reporting from Npr.*