For far too many students in the American public school system, the math has stopped mathing.

There is new concern about the subject of mathematics — and that evolving concern should be regarded seriously.

According to an article in the Dec. 5 edition of the Wall Street Journal, a closely watched international exam has produced the conclusion that American students’ math scores took a bigger hit from the pandemic than their peers overseas.

The exam in question is called the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, or TIMSS. It is touted as a broad math and science assessment.

The test is administered to fourth- and eighth-graders of the United States and dozens of other countries, the Journal reported.

Quoting from the Journal article, “U.S. fourth- and eighth-grade students’ math performance . . . fell in 2023 from 2019, the last time the test was administered. America’s rankings slipped relative to other countries.”

According to an analysis performed by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, research has linked school closures to greater learning loss.

Unfortunately, the United States, during the pandemic, had a higher duration of at least partial school closures than many other countries, including all of Europe.

Nevertheless, at least one other big exam, this one of high-schoolers, released last year, suggested U.S. learning loss wasn’t worse than its peers.

Perhaps the key word is “suggested” since the word “confirmed” was not used.

Test scores predict economic success, not only for individual students but also, in a broad sense, nations.

“U.S. scores were no better than when the tests were first given in 1995,” the Journal said. “In math, the recent declines wiped out years of gains.”

“I would call these declines sharp, steep,” said Peggy Carr, commissioner of a statistical agency at the U.S. Department of Education, during a call with reporters about the test data.

She said the pandemic drops deepened slides that had already started.

“Something that we should be concerned about is that this isn’t just the impact of the pandemic,” she emphasized.

Some hysteria about low math scores seems to be overdue.