The Education Exchange: NAEP Scores Higher Among 9-Year-Olds Not Yet in School During Covid

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Long-Term Trends data released this week indicates that 9-year-old students who were not yet in school during the initial COVID-19 pandemic period demonstrated higher scores in reading and mathematics compared to their peers who were enrolled. Martin R. West, editor-in-chief of Education Next, discussed these findings on The Education Exchange podcast, highlighting a potential correlation between early pandemic school closures and subsequent academic performance in this specific age group. The NAEP data, which tracks student achievement over time, revealed a notable divergence in scores for reading and math, with the "not yet in school" cohort showing an advantage. This suggests that the disruption caused by remote learning and school closures may have disproportionately affected students who were already within the formal education system during the pandemic's onset. West elaborated on the implications of these findings for understanding the long-term educational impact of the pandemic. The analysis presented on The Education Exchange podcast, hosted by Paul E. Peterson, aims to provide deeper insights into the educational landscape shaped by the unprecedented circumstances of the COVID-19 era. Further examination of the NAEP data is expected to shed more light on the specific factors contributing to this observed performance gap among 9-year-olds.