Dismal NAEP Results Confirm Urgency of Education Reforms in Virginia
“Nation’s Report Card” shows Virginia fourth graders recorded the largest declines in reading and math in the nation
Post Date:10/24/2022
For Immediate Release: October 24, 2022
Contact: Charles Pyle (804) 371-2420
RICHMOND, VA —Governor Glenn Youngkin described the learning losses of Virginia fourth- and eighth-grade students on this year's national reading and mathematics tests as catastrophic. Since 2017, fourth graders in Virginia suffered the largest declines in reading and math in the nation on the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). For the first time in 30 years, Virginia’s 4th grade students have fallen below the national average in reading and are barely above the national average in math. The average scores of the Commonwealth's eighth graders also dropped, with statistically significant declines in both reading and math. Virginia began participating in NAEP in 1990, and State NAEP assessments are administered every two years. The 2021 administration of NAEP was postponed to 2022 due to the pandemic.
