This week, test results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)—better known as the nation’s report card—were released, and they reflect significant setbacks for America’s students. Students’ academic progress slowed dramatically during the pandemic, and the post-pandemic academic recovery looks as big, and maybe bigger than we had thought.

We knew what to expect for results in fourth grade based on similar results released last month—large declines occurred across the board, but they were larger for low performers and in math than in reading. These new results reflect the same patterns, but also delivered even worse news on how eighth graders scored. Again, math declines were larger than reading, but eighth grade math scores dropped for high performers and low performers alike, by substantial margins.