Don’t panic over the latest student test scores

For those who were paying attention to non-election news last week, two important stories about the state of education made headlines here and across the country.

On Thursday, the latest Illinois Report Card, with test scores and other academic data, showed that student achievement statewide declined significantly during the pandemic.

Sadly, that’s no surprise — the shortcomings of remote learning are well-known — but the trend is still startling: In the 2021-2022 school year, the percentage of 3rd through 11th-grade students who performed at grade level declined among children of every race — white, Black, Hispanic and Asian — compared to 2019, the last round of testing before COVID-19 hit.

The raw numbers for Chicago Public Schools: In English language arts, only 17.3% of 3rd-graders and 21.8% of 8th-graders met or exceeded standards on state tests; in math, just 19.5% of 3rd-graders and 15.3% of 8th-graders did so.

Test scores, of course, do not tell the whole story about a child’s educational achievement. But low scores cannot be ignored either, especially when they show that only 1 in 5, or fewer, students are performing at or above academic standards.

The state scores are only one story, yet they mirror the results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, commonly known as the “nation’s report card,” which were released a few days earlier.

All across the country, including in Chicago, scores declined on the NAEP, especially in math. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona was absolutely right when he said the national decline was “appalling and unacceptable.”

Chicago Public Schools Chief Education Officer Bogdana Chkoumbova characterized the Chicago scores as “sobering” and told Chalkbeat Chicago, an education news outlet, that “It’s sad to see some of the progress that we had made in the past several years wiped off.”

Chronic absenteeism, as well, remains unacceptably high. Statewide, 48% of Black students and 36% of Hispanic students were chronically absent, defined as missing 17 days or more of school. In CPS, just over 54% of Black students and about 44% of Hispanic students were chronically absent.

It’s important to point out the good news, too: The state’s high school graduation rate is now 87%, and in Chicago, it’s now 82.9%, both record highs. And in Chicago, more high school freshmen — 89% — are on track to graduate, which means earning passing grades in core classes.

A call for smart action

It would be wise, we think, for policymakers, politicians, educators and other stakeholders to put aside any handwringing or finger-pointing about the bad news. Accept the good news. Use it as motivation to focus on doing what it takes to get students, especially lower-income children and students of color whose communities and schools were hardest hit by COVID-19, back on track.

There are plenty of experts — and that includes classroom teachers, who are on the frontlines with students every day — who know how best to accomplish that important work. We’re seeing encouraging signs already, from the state’s plan to tackle absenteeism to the intensive tutoring and other educational support being offered by CPS and in other districts.

Meanwhile, parents in particular should ask schools, district officials and politicians to clearly outline their education goals and plans.

For instance: What will they do to recruit good teachers? Illinois currently has nearly 4,600 unfilled teaching and paraprofessional positions, according to Illinois State Board of Education data. The bulk of those open jobs are in Chicago and Cook County, but smaller, downstate districts also need educators.

And retention, not just recruitment, is key. Teacher “burnout” is very real, as a June Gallup poll found, and there’s likely not a district in the country where teachers are immune.

Another question: What would those in charge do to make sure students, especially children in tough neighborhoods, have the support they need to thrive in the classroom? Schools in impoverished communities, we think, should have a full-time social worker, a school nurse and a librarian, for example. Those jobs are considered standard in schools in middle-class and wealthy neighborhoods. Kids growing up in poverty need the same support, if not more.

Those are just two questions that should be on the table for discussion. There are surely others.

As this editorial board pointed out two months ago: There’s plenty of work to do to improve Illinois schools.

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