Fewer than one-third of elementary and middle school students achieved proficient scores on both English Language Arts and Mathematics in the latest round of state standardized testing.
The Indiana Department of Education has released results from Indiana’s spring 2021 assessments. ILEARN results for grades 3-8 showed that across the state, only 40.5% of students are at or above proficiency standards in English, 36.9% in math and 28.6% in both categories.
In 2019, 37.1% of students were proficient in both. About 48% of students were proficient in English then, and a similar percentage held true for math. State officials have said that the new scores represent a different baseline and should not be compared with previous results.
“These results confirm what we expected, and what we now know — student learning was significantly impacted by COVID-19,” said Secretary of Education Katie Jenner. “I applaud our Indiana educators who worked tirelessly to ensure a safe environment that kept many students in the classroom. Looking ahead, this new baseline and other student-level data provide direction on where we must focus individualized student learning over the coming years.”
Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. scored slightly over the statewide averages for ILEARN, with 42.2% of students proficient in English, 38.4% in math and 30.8% in both. In 2019, the number of students proficient in English was a little over 50%, and the same was true of math. 40.7% of students were proficient in both.
Communications Coordinator Josh Burnett said the school corporation was aware of the possibility of lower ILEARN and ISTEP+ scores due to the pandemic and its “interruptions.”
“While we understand that these are important tests, BCSC uses other measurements to determine the educational growth of our students,” he added. “As a district, we use multiple formative assessments for our elementary and middle school students, look at attendance rates, graduation rates, and college and career readiness for our high schoolers to guide our focus.”
Flat Rock-Hawcreek Corp.’s ILEARN results showed 35.9% of students scoring proficient in English, 41.7% in math and 25.6% in both subjects. In 2019, 45.2% of students were proficient in English, 57.1% in math and 40.5% in both.
Flat Rock-Hawcreek’s Executive Director of Accelerated Learning David Wintin said that it’s challenging to say what scores mean this year, especially given that all students were virtual for at least part of the school year, some were virtual full-time, and others switched back and forth.
“The number of variables faced by schools and students over the last 16 months make it really difficult to gather much meaning from the ILEARN and ISTEP scores this year,” he said. “ILEARN is still relatively new to us, and we were just barely starting to get the hang of it before we were shut down a year ago.”
ILEARN was first administered in 2019. It tests proficiency in English and math in grades three through eight, science in grades four and six, social studies in grade five, and biology and U.S. government in high school, with the latter subject being optional.
The state department of education said 97% of Indiana students in these grades participated in ILEARN, with the results used for informational purposes only. The test was not given in 2020 due to COVID-19 related school closures and a federal waiver.
“Due to variables in instruction from COVID-19 and the disruption of 2020 assessments, this year’s results should not be compared to 2019 results, as these 2021 results present a new Indiana baseline,” state officials said.
ILEARN results are also being used as one of the data points for the Indiana COVID-19 Academic Impact Study. Phase one of this study is being conducted by the National Center for Assessment and will be available later this summer.
The state released initial findings from the study on Wednesday. The report stated that Indiana’s 2021 dataset is “robust when compared nationally.” However, it also noted that COVID-19’s academic impacts were “substantial” and range from moderate to significant across different schools, subjects and demographics.
In the context of the report, moderate impact meant recovery time of up to one school year and the likely requirement of “supplemental academic support.” Significant impact meant recovery time would exceed one school year, and the support would be required.
“Recovery is defined as returning to where students/groups of students would be under ‘normal’ learning conditions; Recovery is NOT defined as attaining proficiency,” the report stated.
The study found moderate to significant academic impact in English for elementary and middle schoolers across the state, as well as significant impact in math. Academic impacts in other subjects and across all K-12 grades are also likely, the report stated.
Notable gaps also persist among different racial, ethnic, academic and socioeconomic student groups. For example, just 8.1% of Black students in Indiana had proficient ILEARN scores in both English and Math, compared with 46.5% of Asian students, 34.7% of white students and 15.6% of Hispanic students.
41.1% of students with paid meals were proficient in both categories, compared to 15% of students on free and reduced meals. Just 6.7% of English Language Learners scored proficient, compared to 30.5% of non-ELL students.
Furthermore, the rates of learning required for recovery are “unprecedented” at the scale needed to return students or student groups to where they would be normal learning conditions, the report said.
The state recommended that schools create a “comprehensive, multi-year response” for recovery. Suggested steps include analyzing data, providing “strategic support” to students, creating unique responses based on individual student needs, being intentional with time (particularly in regards to reading and math) and giving focused instruction.
Recovery efforts will also require collaboration not only at the school level, but also from the state and the community, the report said.
BCSC officials also emphasized the necessity of working together with others to address these issues.
“One of things we have learned through this time is that we are not alone and this is a national issue that can’t be addressed in isolation,” said Burnett. “Dr. (Jim) Roberts is working hard with his networks around the state and is in regular communication with these groups so that we can help our students progress forward in their education experience.”
In order to address the academic impact of COVID-19, the school corporation has been using federal funds to hire more teachers, thereby reducing class sizes and addressing students in a more “personal way,” he said. Additionally, a record number of students have chosen to enroll in summer school.
BCSC has also been “ramping up” mental health support through Counseling Counts, Burnett said.
Flat Rock-Hawcreek is also taking action to address academic impacts of the pandemic, though some pieces of this are still in development, Wintin said. The initiatives include, but are not limited to, focusing on credit recovery for high schoolers, looking at skill development for junior high and elementary school students, using ILEARN to look at “deficiencies” and adding a couple of new accelerated learning positions.
Superintendent Shawn Price said that Flat Rock-Hawcreek has added an interventionalist at the elementary school, as well as behavior coaches for “social and emotional support.”
