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The results of standardized exams given to Missouri students in spring 2021 — a year into the COVID-19 pandemic — show less than half of students tested were at grade level in science, reading and math.
Preliminary results for the 2020-21 year, made public Tuesday, showed that across all grade levels and content areas, 40 percent of students scored proficient or advanced, meaning they were on track or ahead of grade-level expectations.
That was down from 45 percent for the 2018-19 year, and 46 percent for the 2017-18 year.
No state-mandated exams were given during the 2019-20 year. The pandemic reached Missouri in March 2020, shuttering school buildings for months and forcing districts to switch, in a matter of days, to virtual and alternative learning.
Margie Vandeven, commissioner of education, said the results in Missouri mirror what has happened nationally and ought to be viewed in context.
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She said teachers, families and schools have faced unprecedented disruptions during the past 18 months along with stressors, health concerns, and changes to the way that teaching and learning took place.
"Teachers and students were absent for extended periods of time due to illness and quarantine. Teachers and students alike were experiencing unparalleled stress, fatigue and mental health issues," she said.
"Students were often learning throughout the year in new and changing modes of instruction, be it in person, hybrid or fully remote and sometimes technology and a less than reliable internet connection played into that."
How Missouri students scored in English language arts, science and math
The state tests students annually in reading and math in grades 3-8 and end-of-course exams are administered for certain key courses at the high school level. The state has also tested students in science.
Overall, 45 percent of students tested last year scored at or above grade level in English language arts compared to 37 percent for science and 35 percent for math.
A further breakdown shows the percentage on grade level for grades 3-8 and for end-of-course exams.
For grades 3-8: 43.7 percent hit the mark in English language arts, 34.9 percent in math, and 38.7 percent in science.
For end-of-course exams: 55.2 percent for English language arts, 36.9 percent for math, 33.9 percent for science.
In a call with media outlets Monday, in advance of the Tuesday release, state education officials acknowledged the following:
The percentage of students scoring at or above grade level last year was lower than the last time the exams were given, the year before the pandemic;
The decline was greater for elementary students than middle school students;
The decline was greater for math than science or English language arts;
The largest decline was in the percentage of students hitting the mark in Algebra I, an end-of-course exam;
The smallest decline for English language arts was grades 4 and 8 and for math was grade 8;
The percentage of students scoring at or above grade level last year was up in English I and physical science end-of-course exams.
The state provided detailed state-level data for reading and math broken down by grade level or end-of-course and by student demographic groups. It showed the achievement gaps that existed before the pandemic were relatively unchanged.
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Commissioner of education says state test results provide valuable insight
Vandeven said making "blanket comparisons" to the results of exams prior to the pandemic, without taking into account all the variables, is irresponsible.
No school or district will be penalized for last year's test scores. Vandeven said they will be used, however, to figure out where more help is needed.
"The reality is we knew we'd see some form of impact. That is why we are saying 'Let's remove some of the judgement about the impact and let's turn that flashlight on to say what do we do about it,'" she said. "The fact that it declined, we were expecting that, to be frank."
She said the test results are expected to provide valuable insight.
The state collected data last year on how students learned — in person, virtually or a mix — and is researching, along with the help of the University of Missouri, how that, and internet access, impacted student achievement.
Data collected during testing showed 81 percent of students had access to a laptop or other technology during the school year and 78 percent had internet access.
For those tested, 51 percent learned in person last year, 10 percent learned virtually, 8 percent learned off-site with some virtual instruction and 31 percent learned through a mix of in-person and virtual options.
Preliminary test results showed students who learned in person, either full-time or as part of a hybrid model, tended to perform better on exams than students who learned off-site and virtually.
"Like many other industries across the state and nation, we are standing at a time where we can reimagine education," she said. "A close look at these data will help inform new ways of doing business."
Lisa Sireno, the standards and assessment administrator for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, said this is the first time the state has been able to look at scores parsed out by how students learned.
"We're studying those impacts," she said. "It's a little bit too early to tell the cause-and-effect relationship."
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State education officials urged schools to use the test scores to identify which students were most impacted by the upheaval of the pandemic.
Melissa Randol, executive director of the Missouri School Boards' Association, said the results reinforce what educators know about the importance of face-to-face interaction with students.
"Teaching in person makes a difference. And when you can’t teach in person, access to the internet and adequate bandwidth make a difference," she said, in a statement. "Our teachers and students did a fantastic job under the circumstances during this pandemic — we can’t lose sight of that."
The state-mandated exams were online but they were required to be taken in a school, proctored, just like past years.
Fewer students were tested last year but the number was higher than the state originally expected. The participation rate, typically 95 percent or higher, was 90 percent.
In an update to the state Board of Education on Tuesday, Vandeven said the state and its students can recover from the drop.
"I do not want to minimize this or in any way, shape or form come across as minimizing the fact that our scores declined because that is significant for all of us," she said. "... It is serious for us to be looking at this and reflecting upon what we're seeing right now."
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Vandeven said the turnaround starts with schools and districts studying their individual scores — which will be released publicly later this fall — and partnering with families to address students' specific needs.
Federal relief funds are available to help schools to redouble intervention and instruction efforts and add support aimed at helping students catch up.
"What I think this board can do, if you are all willing and it sounds as through you absolutely are, is to continue to talk about the high expectations, to not waver from it, to talk about ... that we need to improve," she said.
"Our kids have got to be able to come to the table prepared to be successful."
Claudette Riley is the education reporter for the News-Leader. Email news tips to criley@news-leader.com.
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