Are Idaho students test scores back at pre-pandemic levels? Here’s what 2022 results show
Student performance on Idaho’s standardized tests improved to nearly before COVID-19 pandemic levels in English language arts, but fell short in math.
Results from the Idaho Standards Achievement test — which students in third, eighth and 10th grades take every spring — showed 54.8% of all students were proficient or advanced in English language arts, nearly at the 55% rate in 2019, the last year the test was given before the COVID-19 pandemic.
In math, 41.9% of all students scored as proficient or higher, compared with 44.4% who scored the same in spring 2019. The math scores reflected an increase when compared to 2021, when 39.6% of students scored as at least proficient.
More than 169,000 students took the ISAT this past spring.
Sherri Ybarra, superintendent of public instruction, said state officials weren’t surprised to see declines in students’ ISAT scores in 2021 when compared with pre-pandemic levels. The pandemic caused school closures and interruptions for districts across the state. Teachers have been dealing with the learning loss and mental health impacts stemming from the pandemic.
But Ybarra said officials are excited to see student scores rebounding.
“This is great news and reinforces our faith in Idaho educators, who have worked hard to reverse pandemic learning loss and get students back on the path to success,” Ybarra said in a news release.
Results still show significant differences in scores among students of color, economically disadvantaged students and students with disabilities.
Among Hispanic and Latino students, 37.3% scored at least proficient in English language arts this past spring and 23.2% scored as proficient or advanced on math. Just under 40% of students who were economically disadvantaged scored as proficient or better in English language arts, and 27.6% scored as at least proficient in math.
Among students with disabilities, 15.1% were at least proficient in English language arts and 12.3% were proficient or better in math.
The superintendent’s Department of Assessment and Accountability will analyze the results of the tests to “help explain the patterns,” the news release said.
“Proficiency is only one measure of achievement, and it is important to remember that results from different years reflect separate cohorts of students,” Ybarra said. “Still, these latest ISAT results are significant and encouraging.”
This story was originally published October 21, 2022 at 12:37 PM.
