Fewer than 40% of New York third- to eighth-graders pass state math assessments

Slightly less than 40% of tested New York students passed state math assessments last spring in grades 3-8, state officials announced Monday, the latest evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted academic achievement at national, state and local levels.

Testing in English showed somewhat better outcomes, with just under 50% of those tested passing.

The latest round of assessments marked the first time that students in elementary and secondary schools statewide have been fully tested since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

The fact that New York's scores slumped more in math than in English underlined a point already made by many educational leaders on Long Island and elsewhere: Math is a subject especially difficult to teach when students are confined to remote instruction at home.

"These results herald the value of daily face-to-face student-teacher interactions," said Lorna Lewis, superintendent of Malverne schools and a former president of the New York State Council of School Superintendents. "Once we have identified learning loss, we must apply multiple techniques to close the gap to put student back on the path of successful trajectories. I have faith that NY educators are determined to do this."

A news release issued by the education department along with the testing results said that more than 927,000 students were tested statewide. However, the release did not specify what percentage of eligible students took assessments, and what percentage opted out of testing.

Monday's announcement from Albany marked the first release of the results from testing of grades 3-8 conducted district-by-district in March, April and May throughout New York State. The department also released results of fourth- and eighth-grade science tests, and of Regents exams that are most often administered in grades 9-12. 

"Multiple measures of student learning, including state assessments, are used at the local level to help shape individualized learning plans, so students have the supports they need," said Emily DeSantis, a spokesperson for the department. "We remain committed to fostering high-quality instructional opportunities that provide authentic measures of deeper learning." 

The department's announcement did not compare 2022 scores to those in 2021, when shortened versions of English and math tests were administered as a means of lessening pressures on students already struggling to cope with effects of the pandemic. The agency's news release stated that such comparisons may not be appropriate "due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19."

In 2021, only about 40% of eligible students on Long Island and statewide participated in testing, according to calculations by the department and Newsday. 

Both state and federal analysts have noted that average scores were lower among some racial minorities, in part because they were least likely to have access to home computers and Wi-Fi connections essential to remote learning. For example, state data released Monday showed that passage rates in math were 67.1% for Asian and Pacific Island students, 46.6% for white students, 25.5% for Hispanic or Latino students and 24.1% for Black students.

Dia Bryant, the head of an educational advocacy group based in Manhattan, issued a statement Monday saying that her organization remained "deeply concerned about persistent gaps in outcomes between white students and students of color." 

Bryant is executive director of The Education Trust-New York, a nonprofit group that focuses on educational outcomes for minority students who are impoverished. 

Earlier in the day, federal officials put out results of sample tests administered in grades 4 and 8 throughout all 50 states between January and March 2022. Those showed that math scores in New York and most other states fell at record rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a smaller but still substantial drop in reading as well. 

Those federal "report cards" for states echoed findings of another national report in September. It found the biggest decline in math among 9-year-olds nationwide since federal testing of that age group began in 1973, along with the largest setbacks in reading in 30 years. 

DeSantis responded, “New York’s trend is similar to what we are seeing nationally and at the state and district levels as a result of the lost instruction time caused by the pandemic. We have work to do to get students to where they need to be, not just academically but socially and emotionally as well. The department is working with local districts to address the unique learning needs of students.”

Over the longer range, however, the federal survey found that there had still been some progress. For example, average math scores for 9-year-olds, while declining between 2020 and 2022, remained 15 points higher than in 1978. Reading scores remained seven points higher than in 1971. 

To help local public schools cope with the pandemic's impact, Washington has provided billions of dollars in relief nationwide, including more than $500 million for Nassau and Suffolk counties. The aim is to help pay for quick remedies, such as intensive tutoring and after-school instruction, so struggling students can catch up. 

"We must redouble our efforts to accelerate student recovery," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in a prepared statement.

In addition, New York State has boosted this region's education funding by more than $870 million, with another large increase tentatively scheduled for the 2023-24 school year. This assistance, which will be built into state aid formulas in future years as well, barring cuts, is meant to provide long-term support, especially in poorer districts that were underfunded in the past.