Iowa student test scores hold steady as achievement gaps continue

Iowa students’ proficiencies in math, reading and science did not change significantly in 2023 compared to last year, according to the most recent Iowa Department of Education report.

The department published results last week from the 2023 Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP), an annual test for students grades 3-11. Most grades saw relatively small or no improvements in the English language arts assessment scores other than a 4 percent increase in sixth grade results. But mathematics scores, which had declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, increased by several percentage points for each grade.

For most grade levels, math proficiency rates have at least returned to roughly their 2019-2020 levels, with only grade 9 scores falling from 69 percent to 61 percent between the 2019 and 2023 tests.

Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow attributed the results and lack of “learning loss” to Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ decision to reopen schools for in-person classes earlier than many other states during the pandemic.

“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 …” Snow said in a statement. “Together with educators and families, we will work to better serve students most in need of support and to accelerate learning so all students can succeed.”

The “achievement gaps” are found when comparing the overall students’ scores with those of students who are learning English, have a disability or are eligible for free and reduced lunches, according to the department.

Students learning English score 37 to 51 percentage points lower on the statewide math tests than the overall student population. Those with disabilities scored between 33 to 50 percentage points lower in math, and students eligible for free and reduced lunches had scores 14 to 17 percentage points below the overall student population.

Snow said the department plans to use the data gathered from the assessments to help improve students’ learning, especially those in communities with large achievement gaps.

Though the assessments showed some areas for concern, the state Board of Education said Iowa is on a better track to educational recovery following the pandemic than many other states. The board met in June to discuss results from the Iowa assessment and National Assessment of Educational Progress. Jay Pennington, chief of the department’s bureau of information and analysis services, said at the time that test results indicate that “on average, students are performing similarly to what might have been expected had the pandemic not occurred.”

“Iowa fared fairly well …,” Pennington said. “Iowa is one of six states that only saw significant decline in one area, we saw significant decline in eighth-grade math. All the other states had significant declines in two or more content areas.”

But educators and advocates say the only way to improve test scores and close achievement gaps is by providing better funding for Iowa’s school system. In this year’s legislative session, lawmakers approved a 3 percent increase in per pupil funding for the 2024 fiscal year — resulting in $107 million more for K-12 public schools than the previous year. Democrats and education lobbyists called for a larger raise, arguing that the Republican-led Legislature had underfunded public education for years, but their proposals were shot down.

During session, Reynolds also signed into law her private school scholarship program. The program diverts $7,635 in per-pupil funding from the child’s public school district to an education savings account (ESA). The funds can be used to pay for private school tuition and associated costs. More than 18,000 students had been approved to use the accounts for the 2023-2024 school year as of Aug. 8.

Reynolds and ESA supporters have said the law’s provision giving public school districts $1,205 in funding for each private school student in their district will offset the lost per-pupil funding. Critics, however, have said the funding change will hurt public schools and their students.

Iowa State Education Association President Mike Beranek said in a statement that the most recent assessment results show the “strength and resiliency” of public school employees and students amid state government actions like the ESA program creation and the law to remove inappropriate materials from school libraries.

“There will be achievement gaps so long as we have staffing shortages, inadequate funding, and mean-spirited attacks on our public schools,” Beranek said. “If the governor is genuinely concerned about lower test scores, she should shut down the private school voucher program that is diverting critical dollars away from public schools.”

This article first appeared in the Iowa Capital Dispatch.