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Civics scores similarly declined, with nearly a third of eighth graders not reaching a ‘basic’ understanding of the subject.

Additionally, only 68% of students reported taking US history classes in eighth grade—a four percent decline since 2018—while roughly half report taking a class primarily focused on civics or the US government.

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Test scores are down across the board. Is the pandemic to blame?

The NCES reported similar results in middle schoolers’ math and reading comprehension last November, suggesting that pandemic-era restrictions on in-person school attendance led to a sharp decline in scores.

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Between 2022 and 2019, the average fourth-grade math test score decreased by 5 points, reaching its lowest level since 2005. The average score of eighth-grade students fell by 8 points, reaching its lowest level since 2003.

Meanwhile, reading scores for eighth graders declined to the lowest level since 1992 for both age groups, exacerbating a downward trend for reading comprehension since 2017.

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Recent data suggest the pandemic-era restrictions are a large force behind the broad declines. According to a study published last year by Brown University economist Emily Oster, students who primarily attended online classes in the 2021-2022 school year performed 8 percentage points lower in reading comprehension and 13 percentage points lower in math than students who primarily attended in-person classes.

Related stories:

“Dad wants to play mahjong”: The struggles of remote learning in Hong Kong during coronavirus

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America’s universities are reckoning with online education

French parents weigh the risk of sending their children back to school

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