American schoolchildren’s math and reading scores saw “a marked decline” — again — falling further behind their own scores before the COVID-era lockdowns, trailing even more foreign nations, and fueling calls for President-elect Donald Trump to reform or abolish the Department of Education. American students participate in two international tests — the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) — at ages nine and 13. American fourth graders scored 18 points lower in the 2022-2023 school year than in 2019, the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic closures. Eighth graders’...