Educators and lawmakers say the future of students' education in South Carolina could decline long-term.
Monday afternoon the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee met and discussed how students did on the National Report Card also known as NAEP and the results aren't favorable.
Twice a year, selected fourth and eighth-grade students take the national exam.
The results are used as a representation of all grade levels statewide.
Member of the National Assessment Governing Board Patrick Kelly gave the report.
"What NAEP shows us in 2022 is that like students nationally, South Carolina experienced some pretty big disruptions in their instruction and that had an impact on their achievement levels," said Kelly.
South Carolina’s eighth graders have dropped below previous scores on the test.
Eighth-grade students in South Carolina scored a 254 on reading.
That’s five points below the national average of 259.
Lawmakers and educators say this decline is due to several factors including the mental health of students, school threats and a number of uncertified teachers instructing classes.
"We are seeing more and more students are being taught by individuals who don't have certification in their field or they were hired for something else," said Kelly.
According to NAEP test results, fourth-grade reading and math didn't decline in South Carolina.
"NAEP shows us that while our fourth graders are not where we want them to be in terms of achievement levels, they are performing on are with students across the nation," said Kelly.
Fourth graders scored a 234 on reading and a 234 on math.
Those scores are only one point below the national average for both reading and math.