California student test scores dismal during COVID closures

California K-12 student test results released Friday for the last school year show fewer than half were at grade level for English language skills, barely a third for math and less than a third for science.

Comparing test results with pre-pandemic years is difficult, state officials said, because the circumstances were so different and participation far lower. While 95% of eligible students were tested in English and math before the pandemic, less than 25% completed the assessments in all subject areas in 2020-2021.

“As a result, it is not possible to know whether differences in the scores from this year as compared to previous years are a function of differences in the population of test takers or differences in the teaching and learning that have occurred,” the California Department of Education said in its report on the results

State leaders last year acknowledged kids suffered academically and emotionally from the prolonged school closures and remote online learning to accommodate fears of COVID-19 outbreaks. They’ve since committed to keeping schools open even as the virus spreads, and to funding efforts to help students catch up.

“The statewide performance data from last year confirm what we heard from school districts and county offices throughout the year,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said in a statement Friday. “Namely, the challenges that students and educators faced during the pandemic were multi-dimensional and disruptive to learning and mental health. Our goal now is to move all students forward.”

The U.S. Department of Education had waived the testing requirement for the 2019-2020 school year that was interrupted in March 2020 by widespread COVID-19 outbreaks and school closures across the country. But the department told states that for the most recently completed 2020-2021 school year, they would have to administer statewide academic assessments of English literacy, math and science.

States were allowed more flexibility in their administration, including shortened versions of the tests, online remote testing where feasible and a longer window of time to complete the assessments. Even so, state officials said that still was a huge lift given most districts were in remote learning until well into last spring.

Although the percentage of children taking the assessments was much lower, the results of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, which includes the “Smarter Balanced” assessments of English language arts and math and the California Science Test, are sobering, state officials said.

Just 49% of all assessed students in grades 3-8 and 11 met or exceeded grade-level achievement for English and only 34% for math. For science, a mere 29% of all students in grades 5, 8 and 10-12 were at or above grade level achievement.

The results generally were worse for children at lower grade levels than older students, and for those who are Black and Hispanic than those who are White or Asian. Girls overall scored somewhat higher in English and boys in math and science.

For English, 75% of Asian and 60% of White students at all grades tested were at or above grade-level achievement, compared with 38% of Hispanic and 34% of Black students. For Math, 69% of Asian students at all grades tested were at or above grade-level compared with 45% of White, 20% of Hispanic and 18% of Black students.

For Science, 60% of Asian students at all grades tested were at or above grade-level achievement compared with 40% of White, 16% of Hispanic and 14% of Black students.

Though state officials cautioned against comparing scores from 2020-2021 to pre-pandemic years, the California Department of Education for the first time matched the scores from the 2021 cohort of students assessed with their own scores in 2018–19 and over their school careers. Results show that the learning rate was lower for the 2021 cohort and that the differentials were greater for younger students than for older ones.

To help schools make up for lost student learning during the 2020–21 year, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 86 in March providing $4.6 billion to expand educational opportunities for the summer and the following school year.

State officials said 89% of school districts reporting offered new learning opportunities over the summer, including “high-dose tutoring,” enrichment, and mental health services.

“Our road ahead is clear — we must continue to focus our energy and resources in supporting our students, families, and educators so they not only recover from the impacts of COVID-19 but thrive in days ahead,” said State Board of Education President Linda Darling-Hammond in a statement Friday. “This must remain our top priority.”