Students’ lowest English, math standardized test scores in decades

Reading and math test scores for students have not been up to par lately, and in fact, they’re the lowest test scores in decades.

The National Assessment of Education said you have to go back to the 1970s to see scores as bad as they are now.

Reading and math test scores for 13-year-old students nationwide showed the largest declines ever recorded. Math scores dropped by nine points and reading dropped by four.

Although the numbers in Southwest Florida are better, in the Spring of 2022, middle school math scores in Collier Count rose by five percent. While they went up by three percent in Lee County and one percent in Charlotte County.

Middle School English scores improved by one percent in Collier County. However, they dropped by two percent in Lee and Charlotte Counties.

Former teacher and school board member Gwyn Gittens believes the standardized test scores are the true representation of how kids are really doing, and they reflect the work that needs to be done in the classroom.

“Was really the first full year that they didn’t have COVID, they weren’t doing digital learning, virtual learning. They were actually in school. And they actually had a full year of learning and testing and all of that. So it should show the increase at that particular time,” Gittens said.

What we should all focus on is whether our kids can read.

“The state scores for literacy around 40%, which is terrible. You’re seeing 60% of the kids in Florida are not reading on grade level,” Gittens said.

Specifically in Lee County, the number of middle school students passing ath standardized tests fell below 50% in 2022.