The gold standard for student test measurement is the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores. The schools flunked. The latest results are in from late 2022 and they sadly reveal just how badly American students are still suffering the after-effects of COVID lockdowns.

For 13-year-olds, the decline in math scores was the biggest in 50 years. Scores declined among all racial groups and across urban, suburban, and rural areas.

The share of students who reported “never” or “hardly ever” reading for fun has jumped by 9 points, to 31 percent – or almost a third. Whether that is because they CAN’T read or don’t like to read is an open question.

Which kids were hurt the most? According to the Washington Post: Hardest hit were the lowest-performing students and black children. In math, their scores showed declines of 12 to 14 points, while their highest-performing peers fell just six points. The pattern for reading was similar, with lowest performers seeing twice the decline of the highest ones.

Remember this the next time you hear the left pontificating about income inequality.