Cedar Rapids test scores show students rebounding to pre-pandemic learning

CEDAR RAPIDS — While some Cedar Rapids students are almost showing a return to pre-pandemic levels of learning, large achievement gaps remain for non-white students and the students in special education and English Language Learners programs.

The Cedar Rapids Community School District saw a drop in scores on standardized tests last year. Officials attributed the decline to loss of instructional time because of the pandemic and August 2020 derecho, as both students and teachers had to adapt to remote learning.

District officials presented new data Monday from the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) for the 2021-22 school year. The test is taken by students in grades three through 11, once a year, to measure performance in English language arts, math and science. Students were not tested in 2020 because of the pandemic.

Students who scored lowest were high school students in the English Language Learner program, of whom only 6 percent tested at or above 40th percentile in reading, and only 3 percent tested at or above 40th percentile in math.

Other students in Cedar Rapids schools who consistently score lower than their peers on statewide assessment tests are non-white students and students with Individualized Education Plans, which detail special education instruction, supports and services a student needs to thrive in school.

Deputy Superintendent Nicole Kooiker said she believes every student in the district can “reach and achieve at higher levels.”

Some of the ways educators are working to close achievement gaps are creating a culture in schools where every student feels a sense of belonging, using data to target instruction to individual students and implementing a new math curriculum at elementary and middle schools.

District officials have set goals to reduce gaps in reading and math by 20 percent across all student demographic groups and increase the district’s graduation rate by 10 percent by June 2023. At least 80 percent of students will demonstrate annual growth and at least 80 percent will score proficient or advanced on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress by that time.

Elementary school

During the 2021-22 school year, 58 percent of students in third through fifth grade were at or above benchmark in reading and 54 percent of elementary students were at or above benchmark in math.

In reading:

In math:

Executive director of Cedar Rapids elementary schools Eric Christenson said students are “making gains.” He feels good about the data because the district is closing the gap in lost learning attributed to the pandemic, he said.

While students in the English Language Learner program achieve at lower rates than their peers, Christenson said the district has a “really good” program with “a lot of promise.”

“We have work to do as you look at the metrics,” he said. “We have several students exit from (English Language Learner program) every year in elementary school, and that’s not an easy thing to do."

Middle school

During the 2021-22 school year, 65 percent of students in sixth to eighth grade were on grade level or above in reading, and 54 percent of students were on grade level or above in math.

In reading:

In math:

Adam Zimmermann, executive director of Cedar Rapids middle schools, said that while students are “not where they need to be,” they are making progress.

In middle school, the proficiency gap between white and non-white students was improved by five points in reading this year, an increase in non-white students’ growth by 11 points, Zimmermann said.

Zimmermann said educators “love and care” for students is translating in to academic growth. “I think we have the beginnings of that here tonight,” he said.

High school

Cedar Rapids high school students saw a decrease in proficiency in overall math and reading scores during the 2021-22 school year compared to the year before.

Cynthia Phillips, executive director of Cedar Rapids high schools, said this is the “dramatic effect” of students not in buildings attending schools. The derecho on Aug. 10, 2020, severely damaged high school buildings, keeping students out of the buildings for an additional eight to 10 months for construction.

“We are not satisfied with where our data is,” Phillips said.

During the 2021-22 school year, 63 percent of students tested at or above 40th percentile in reading and 47 percent of students tested at or above 40th percentile in math.

In math:

High school educators are working hard to “reengage students and families and creating spaces where students want to learn,” Phillips said.

Graduation rates

The district’s estimated 2021-22 four-year graduation rate was 86 percent, an increase from 79 percent in 2020-21. This still is less than the district’s pre-pandemic four-year graduation rate of 91 percent for the 2019-20 school year, when students were able to graduate during the pandemic by a proclamation made by Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Graduation rates for the 2021-22 school year for non-white students and students in special education and the English Language Learner program have not been released by the Iowa Department of Education.

However, graduation rates during the 2020-21 school year for non-white students saw the largest percent decrease after the pandemic with 71 percent graduating in four years — a decrease of 18 percentage points from the year before.

There was a 10 point decrease in four-year graduation rates for students with Individualized Education Plans — decreasing from 65 percent during the 2019-20 school year to 53 percent during the 2020-21 school year. Students in the English Language Learner program graduated at 70 percent during the 2020-21 school year, compared to 73 percent the year before.

School board member Cindy Garlock said that while the data isn’t where educators want it to be, they are clearly “working hard to target those areas and figure out how to make it better.”

School board member Nancy Humbles thanked the district’s teachers and administrators for their tenacity over the last three years.

“We realize there are issues we need to address,” Humbles said. “It’s so important that we know there’s still work to be done and close the achievement gap. I’m glad it’s at the forefront. We want all our students to be successful.”

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com