As post-pandemic life in Colorado has returned to normalcy, it's clear our children, though resilient, continue to struggle mightily. More than three years since government shutdowns to curb the spread of COVID-19 included long-term school closures, more children than ever are struggling with their mental health. Juvenile crime, increasingly violent, has jumped. And educational markers repeatedly indicate kids aren't learning like they were pre-pandemic.

Wednesday's release of data from the federal government's test known as "The Nation's Report Card," the National Assessment of Educational Progress, provides information reinforcing this reality. This year's results, drawn from a sample size of 8,700 13-year-old students tested across the country between October and December 2022, are especially alarming.

Math scores were the worst in more than 30 years. Reading scores hit their lowest point in nearly 20. The plunge in math scores from 2020 to 2023, 9 points, was so grave it's the largest margin recorded since the exam was first given a half-century ago. Reading marks in the same span dipped by 4 points.

The poor results come on the heels of the National Assessment of Educational Progress testing released last summer that showed an even broader negative trend for fourth- and eighth-grade students across the country.

More distressing, the new results released Wednesday indicate lowest-performing students are especially struggling, with their scores down 12 to 14 points, almost double that of stronger students.

Then there's the statistical differences among racial demographic groups, with the National Assessment of Educational Progress' results reflecting the worst decreases are among American Indian students (20 points) and Black students (13 points), compared with a 6-point decline for White students. The only racial group that held steady statistically was Asians students.

And, maybe most concerning, the test verified a surge in absenteeism as students missing five or more days of schools in a month doubled since 2020, reaching 10%.

The results are so unsatisfactory Peggy Carr, the commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (which conducts the test as part of the federal Department of Education), plainly said in a public statement, "the 'green shoots' of academic recovery that we had hoped to see have not materialized."

Here in Colorado, last summer the Report Card found Colorado eighth graders saw a 10-point decrease in math scores since 2019, the largest drop among the grades and subjects assessed, while fourth-grade math scores decreased by 6 points. Eighth-grade reading (4 points) and fourth-grade reading (2 points) also were down.

Although the Colorado Department of Education was sure to note students in the state had higher reading scores compared with the national average, and math scores were the same, the truth is Colorado's kids are struggling in the same fashion as kids across the country.

They were out of the classroom for months, if not longer, before returning to learning, social and athletic situations that were still for some time afterward significantly altered by COVID precautions.

Putting arguments aside about whether the prolonged closure and alteration of schooling helped to combat viral spread, these test results indicate kids at-large haven't learned at the level necessary to function at their highest capabilities. When you combine that with the juvenile crime trend and surge in youth mental health struggles, it's vital to acknowledge the kids who sacrificed so much for the rest of us during the pandemic aren't all right.

With that, the question becomes what can we do to solve this societal problem? For if we Coloradans can't find answers, be it via government, via the family and community, or via the free market, we'll truly see the complete ramifications of a lost generation of potential.

The Gazette editorial board

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