Overview
- The analysis draws on MAP Growth National Dashboard data for Kâ2, comparing spring 2017 with spring 2025 across more than 7 million students in roughly 20,000 schools.
- First- and second-grade performance in 2024â25 trails pre-pandemic peers, with math shortfalls of roughly a third to one month and reading deficits of about a month.
- Kindergarten achievement has remained mostly steady through the pandemic period, diverging from declines seen in grades 1 and 2.
- Math scores have risen incrementally with narrowing gaps for students in high-poverty schools and for Black and Hispanic students, whereas first- and second-grade reading scores have largely been flat since spring 2021.
- NWEA urges leaders to examine factors such as persistent absenteeism, reduced access to preschool and child care, and the winding down of relief-funded supports, as states and districts expand pre-K and intensify early literacy efforts.