(The Center Square) – Iowa students showed “little improvement” over the year in the Statewide Assessment of Student Progress, Iowa Department of Education officials said Tuesday.
The test results did reveal some gaps between students receiving free or reduced lunch, students learning English and students with disabilities, department officials said in a news release.
The difference in English Arts proficiency between students receiving free and reduced lunch and a data set of all students was between 15% and 17%, according to the test results. The difference between students with disabilities and others was 41% to 52%, while the gap was higher between all students and those learning English-40% to 59%.
The math scores improved among students in all grades, but the English Language Arts scores are the same, according to the department.
Eleventh-grade math scores improved by 7%, the most significant increase among all grade levels. Math results for fifth graders are 6% higher in 2023 than in 2022, according to the data.
The largest increase in English Language Arts scores is from sixth graders, which had a 4% increase from last year, DOE officials said.
“Iowa prioritized keeping schools open and students in the classroom throughout the pandemic, and our students experienced minimal COVID-related learning loss compared to the nation. At the same time, statewide assessment results show that overall student proficiency is not significantly different from last year and concerning achievement gaps persist, especially among students who are English learners, students with disabilities and students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch,” said Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow. “This crucial data will guide the Department’s development of targeted solutions to improve student achievement statewide.”
Math test scores declined during the two years following the COVID-19 pandemic, but the department said 2023 results are similar to 2019. The pandemic had little impact on test scores in English Language Arts, except for third, seventh and ninth graders, according to DOE officials. The English Language Arts test results for six of the nine grades were at or above 2019 rates.
Students in grades 3-11 take the ISASP in the spring. The test “reflects what’s being taught in Iowa classrooms and how students are progressing toward grade-level expectations outlined in Iowa’s academic standards,” according to the DOE.
