Minnesota’s eighth grade math scores plummet to lowest point in 30 years

Minnesota eighth graders last spring recorded the lowest math scores on national exams in 30 years, indicating many high school freshmen may face reduced career potential in mathematics, science and technology fields, according to National Assessment of Educational Performance data released Monday.

Kevin Burns, a spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Education, said the latest data from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics “continues trends that we have seen beginning in 2017, prior to COVID.”

“We expected declines, given the disruption everyone experienced during the pandemic, but that doesn’t make these results easier to see,” he shared in a statement Monday. “While Minnesota student scores outpace national scores, we must work diligently to take the necessary steps to help all students, across all grades, achieve.”

The new report offers a first look at the pandemic's impact on fourth- and eighth-graders in all 50 states, revealing deep learning setbacks for students across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The data showed average eighth grade math scores in Minnesota have plummeted 11 points since the tests were last administered in 2019. 

Out of 300 points possible, Minnesota eighth-graders in the spring scored an average of 280 points on the math assessment, marking the lowest score since Minnesota students averaged 275 points on the first-ever assessment in 1990. 

While Minnesota's 11-point decline on the math assessment is among the sharpest in the nation, students in Minnesota continue to largely score higher than their peers in other states. The national average declined eight points since 2019 to 273 in 2022. 

In a statement, Daniel McGrath, acting as NCES association commissioner for assessment, noted eighth grade is a pivotal year for students to develop key math skills.

“If left unaddressed, this could alter the trajectories and life opportunities of a whole cohort of young people, potentially reducing their abilities to pursue rewarding and productive careers in mathematics, science, and technology,” McGrath said. 

The report also evaluated how well fourth-graders are grasping math skills. 

Minnesota fourth-graders also experienced an 11-point drop in average math test scores since the tests were last administered in 2019. The state's average score of 239 is the lowest since students averaged 234 on the assessment in 2000. 

However, this year's score is still four points above the national average, which dropped five points since 2019. 

In a statement, NCES Commissioner Peggy G. Carr said the pandemic laid bare longstanding opportunity gaps in the nation's education system. 

"It also showed how every student was vulnerable to the pandemic’s disruptions," she said. "We do not have a moment to waste.”