Reflecting a statewide trend, students in third through eighth grades in the Austin Independent School District are struggling with math, while their reading skills vary by grade level, according to recently released scores from the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness .
Compared to last year, reading scores for these grades decreased, with the exception of sixth grade, which increased 2 percentage points, and seventh grade, which remained the same.
Austin students’ math performance has worsened since before the COVID-19 pandemic. In spring 2019, 52% of third graders met grade-level requirements, compared to 42% this year. The smallest difference applies to seventh graders: in 2019, 26% met grade level requirements and now 23% still meet them.
“While we continue to see progress in other areas… it is clear that math achievement is not at the level students need to be successful after graduation,” Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said in a news release. “Pandemic disruptions to learning exacerbated students’ difficulties in mastering fundamental mathematical concepts.”
On the other hand, Austin district students increased their reading skills this year compared to 2019, before the pandemic. Among third and seventh graders, the percentage increased from 51% to 56% and from 47% to 53%, respectively. Sixth graders have seen even greater growth of 15 percentage points, with 54% meeting grade-level requirements by 2024.
David DeMatthews, an associate professor in the University of Texas’ department of educational leadership and policy, said comparing test scores from year to year can be difficult as the students taking the assessments change annually and the testing system has changed since before the pandemic. The Texas Education Association redesigned the STAAR and implemented the new version in the 2022-2023 school year to better align with what is being taught in classrooms.
“For example, Algebra I scores from 2022 and 2023 are often compared by policymakers, journalists and even the general public,” DeMatthews said. “Still, the students taking Algebra I in 2022 are not the same students taking Algebra I in 2023, so comparing those scores doesn’t make much sense. This is especially important as we emerge from the pandemic and understand how the pandemic and learning disruptions have impacted different cohorts of students.”
DeMatthews said that while test scores are an important accountability measure within the public education system, these scores are not a perfect measure of the quality of education students receive.
Standardized test scores “often reflect broader issues within our society, including poverty and systemic racism,” he said. Students who lack stable housing or access to reliable health care “are more likely to struggle in school and… with government assessments than their peers who come from wealthier families and communities with more resources.” Test scores thus partly measure those social and economic factors that are beyond the school’s control.”
Austin School District Superintendent Matias Segura said the STAAR is just one of many data points the district looks at to track students’ learning success in the classroom. Students complete other informal and formal assessments.
“We are very balanced. We try to make sure we never overdo it because we want the educational experience in our classrooms to be vibrant,” Segura said. “We want our students to have fun and learn to understand and enjoy it.”
He said overall there were no surprises in this year’s scores, but that the results will help inform the administration of areas teachers might want to focus on, although many of those plans are already underway.
“What we really want is enough time for the adjustments to take root so that over time you see the real academic results develop in the way we expect,” Segura said.
After the pandemic, Segura said the district focused on improving literacy, which has now stabilized. The next focus will be math, he said.
As the father of two district students in Austin, Segura said he believes it is important to convey to students that the score they receive on the STAAR does not define them.
“We want vibrant schools where students feel supported and the educational experience is fulfilling,” he said. “But that doesn’t always translate into a high score on the STAAR test.”
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin students thrive in reading, struggle with math, STAAR results show
