Nationally, we’re still seeing effects of COVID-19 on American youth. It’s almost impossible to predict each way it has impacted students, but we can see direct changes before and after the peak of the pandemic with tools like standardized tests.

Post-COVID results have shown a large decrease in standardized test scores, both statewide and nationwide. On average, students in Indiana have tested slightly over the national average when it comes to standardized testing, but now, we are following a similar nationwide trend.  Indiana’s rate of students testing proficient in English and Math scores has decreased by almost 10%.

All this while colleges like Purdue recently announced it is now going back to accepting SAT scores as part of the admission process.

However, since Indiana trends show that we consistently test higher than the national average, many people still have hope that our scores will increase as the pandemic becomes less and less prevalent and national scores begin to rise again. 

These standardized test scores decreasing aren’t just from the ILEARN tests. They include our SAT and PSAT scores as well. However, Indiana hasn’t had the same plummeting in SAT scores as we’ve had in our ILEARN scores.

But are standardized tests really accurate of someone’s knowledge? 

“Yes, I think that by their own definition, standardized test scores are accurate,” said senior Jeffery Dreyer “The question of whether those scores can describe a student, however, is not as clear.”

Studies believe that while standardized testing could show students’ knowledge, it doesn’t take into account any possible socioeconomic disparities between students. So while a standardized test can be helpful to see where students are at, it may not be a fair way to test students’ knowledge.