Georgia Students’ Scores Stay Steady on NAEP Since 2019 Despite Impacts of Pandemic

According to the Georgia Department of Education, students’ scores on the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) were in line with the national average and, in most subject areas, the percentages of students performing at the NAEP Basic and NAEP Proficient levels were not significantly different than 2019.

“Given the impact of the pandemic on several years of these students’ schooling, I am encouraged to see them performing at the national average and with no significant changes in performance compared to 2019. That’s a testament to the hard work of teachers and students across this state,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said.“Knowing that there is still work to be done together, we will remain laser-focused on academic recovery and providing the resources schools and teachers need to invest in students and their success.”

In fourth-grade math and fourth-grade reading, Georgia students’ average scores were identical to the national averages. Georgia students’ average score was a point higher than the national average in eighth-grade reading, and two points lower in eighth-grade math. Neither the one-point difference in eighth grade reading nor the two-point difference in eighth-grade math are considered “significantly different,” according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which administers NAEP.

In most subject areas (fourth-grade reading and math along with eighth-grade reading), both Georgia students’ average scores and the percentages of students performing at or above the NAEP Basic and NAEP Proficient levels were not considered by NCES to be “significantly different” compared to 2019. “Not significantly different” is a judgment made by NCES, not by the Georgia Department of Education, and can be viewed in the link at the top of this release.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, which administers the NAEP, the NAEP Proficient achievement level “does not represent grade-level proficiency as determined by other assessment standards.” NAEP Proficient means a student “demonstrates solid academic performance and competency over challenging subject matter.”

NAEP, often referred to as the “Nation’s Report Card,” is a nationally representative assessment administered every two years to a sample of fourth and eighth graders, from a sample of schools across each state.