Research brief
Boys regain the advantage in middle school STEM skills: Post-COVID trends in gender achievement gaps
May 2025
Description
Building on NWEAās previous research series examining the impacts of COVID-19 related disruptions to learning, this study investigates how boysā and girlsā achievement levels in STEM skills were affected. It starts by analyzing five years of data from three national assessments ā TIMMS, NAEP, and NWEAās MAP Growth ā to estimate trends in gender gaps in 8th grade throughout the pandemic. The study then examines a sample of MAP Growth data from two million students to determine whether gender gaps widened among low- and high-achieving students. Finally, it explores whether enrollment in 8th grade Algebra varied by gender during and after the pandemic.
See MoreTopics: COVID-19 & schools, Equity, Growth, Math & STEM
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Unequal Access to 8th-Grade Algebra: How School Offerings and Placement Practices Limit Opportunity
This NWEA research brief examines how access to early Algebra ā a key gateway to advanced high school math, STEM majors, and higher lifetime earnings ā remains highly inequitable across the United States. Using NWEA data from 162,000 eighth-grade students across 22 states, the study looks at both whether schools offer Algebra by 8th grade and how students are placed when it is offered. The findings point to significant gaps tied to school poverty levels, geography, and race/ethnicity.
By: Daniel Long, Megan Kuhfeld, Scott J. Peters
Topics: College & career readiness, Equity, Math & STEM
This is the technical appendix to the āUnequal Access to 8th-Grade Algebra: How School Offerings and Placement Practices Limit Opportunityā research brief, which examines how access to early Algebra remains highly inequitable across the United States.
By: Daniel Long, Megan Kuhfeld, Scott J. Peters
Products: MAP Growth
Topics: College & career readiness, Equity, Math & STEM
Technical Appendix: MAP Growth Specialty School National Dashboard
This is the accompanying technical appendix to the MAP Growth Specialty School National Dashboard providing more details of the data and describing more fully the sample and methods used within the dashboard.
By: Megan Kuhfeld, Daniel Long, Karyn Lewis
Products: MAP Growth
Topics: Growth
Technical appendix for āHot test days, lower math scores: How heat affects student achievementā
This is the technical appendix to āHot test days, lower math scores: How heat affects student achievementā research report that examines the impact of environmental temperatures on student performance in math and reading, and whether those effects are more extreme for students in high-poverty schools, where cooling conditions may be less reliable.
By: Sofia Postell, Megan Kuhfeld, Susan Kowalski, Jazmin Isaacs
Products: MAP Growth
Hot test days, lower math scores: How heat affects student achievement
This NWEA research report examines the impact of environmental temperatures on student performance in math and reading, and whether those effects are more extreme for students in high-poverty schools, where cooling conditions may be less reliable.
By: Sofia Postell, Megan Kuhfeld, Susan Kowalski, Jazmin Isaacs
Products: MAP Growth
NWEAās MAP Growth National Dashboard provides timely trends and data on U.S. student academic achievement and growth for grades K-8. This free public tool supports district leaders, state and federal policymakers, and other education stakeholders in interpreting local data within a broader national and state context. It helps identify areas of strength, shine light on disparities, and ground policy conversations in evidence.
Products: MAP Growth
Topics: COVID-19 & schools, Equity, Growth