BISMARCK, N.D., Oct. 24, 2022 – State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler said Monday that North Dakota’s newest results on the National Assessment of Educational Progress show the urgency of investing federal and state pandemic aid to strengthen instruction and support teachers and students.

Baesler said the scores, which showed declines in both reading and math, were disappointing, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic closed North Dakota school buildings to face-to-face instruction for nine weeks, a relatively short time compared to measures taken in other states.

“We expected declines, given the disruption everyone experienced during the pandemic, but that doesn’t make these results easier to see,” Baesler said. “We must work diligently to take the necessary steps to help all students, across all grades, to achieve. This is a time to focus not just on recovery but on progress.”

“Our schools have been allocated nearly half a billion dollars in COVID relief funding to improve our instruction,” Baesler continued. “School boards and local leaders across the state must analyze their data and strategically invest in teachers, specialists and support staff – paying them for the time that will be necessary to spend with our children, in tutoring, out of school programming, summer programming, and personalized learning – to get each of our students to a level that North Dakotans can be proud of.”

Results of the NAEP, which is referred to as the “Nation’s Report Card,” were released Monday. They represent test results in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and mathematics for all 50 states. About 5,651 North Dakota fourth graders and 7,352 eighth graders took the NAEP exam earlier this year, from Jan. 24-March 1. The test is normally given every two years.

Average scores for North Dakota’s fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math in 2022 were all below the averages of NAEP test results in 2019. (The NAEP was not administered on its regular schedule in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic).

Below is a summary of score averages:

North Dakota NAEP Reading Results

North Dakota NAEP Mathematics Results

In both fourth- and eighth-grade reading, North Dakota students’ average score was about the same as national averages. In fourth- and eighth-grade mathematics, North Dakota students exceeded national averages.

NAEP State Vs. National Comparisons - Reading

NAEP State Vs. National Comparisons - Math

Nationally, student scores have declined sharply since the last NAEP assessments were administered in 2019. According to a statement from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, math declines were evident across all subjects, and no state had math gains in either the fourth or eighth grades.

Additional information is available on the National Assessment of Educational Progress website for mathematics and reading.

Stan Schauer, the Department of Public Instruction’s director of assessments, said the NAEP data confirmed other test information that indicated a learning decline during the pandemic, such as the spring North Dakota State Assessment results in 2021 and 2022.

“No one assessment or measure can accurately measure student learning or the performance of the state or a school district,” he said. “These NAEP results are the fifth data point we have received regarding North Dakota students’ learning recovery trends since classes resumed in the fall of 2020. They are valuable in understanding what steps need to be taken next.”

Baesler said the results “represent a mixed bag”

“On the bright side, our Native American fourth-grade reading scores increased by four points, but our white males saw sharper declines than other eighth-grade groups. We have our work cut out for us,” Baesler said. “But we have seen that when our hard-working, caring educators are with our students in well-supported classrooms, our children thrive. Academic achievement can soar when adult behaviors are focused on student outcomes.”