Latest 3-8 Assessment Results Reveal Modest Improvements Across Student Groups

WASHINGTON, Dec. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Comprehensive statewide academic assessment results for 41 states and Washington, D.C., were unveiled on the Collaborative for Student Success' Assessment HQ platform - the trusted resource for understanding annual grade 3-8 academic assessments and their critical role in tracking student progress.

Assessment HQ now features four years of post-pandemic results for most states and offers a look at how students are performing academically in math and English language arts (ELA). The data show slow but positive trends from 2022-24 for all students in 4th and 8th grade[1] - with gains in math outpacing ELA. Black students in particular had a strong showing among the 34 states and Washington, D.C., that reported out their student group data. 

We recommend readers take a strong degree of caution when comparing year-over-year data, as some states have changed critical areas of their testing systems. Some of these changes - seen across states like Alaska, Oklahoma and Wisconsin - include moving the cut score for proficiency or the scoring metric. These changes muddy the waters of understanding where students are making strong academic strides or faltering, especially given the sunset of unprecedented federal pandemic aid, underscoring the urgency for schools, parents, policymakers and advocates to leverage these insights for meaningful student support. 

There are bright spots to be found when taking a closer look at 2024 data in isolation. Among the states and Washington, D.C., that have released student group information, both New York and Texas are academic standouts compared to the national average in the 2024 testing cycle - particularly for Hispanic, Black, and Economically Disadvantaged students in 4th and 8th grade math.

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The updated data continues to highlight state compliance with federal reporting requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), including participation data for all students and student groups. As of this update:

  • 41 states and Washington, D.C., have released their 2023-24 data. Grade-by-grade data is available for 39 states and Washington, D.C., due to Ohio and Washington releasing only grade span data. 
  • Highlights when looking from 2022-24:
    • All Students:
      • 4th Grade:
        • ELA: +2 percentage points (2022: 43%, 2024: 45%)
        • Math: +4 percentage points (2022: 40%, 2024: 44%)
      • 8th Grade:
        • ELA: +2 percentage points (2022: 42%, 2024: 44%)
        • Math: +4 percentage points (2022: 29%, 2024: 33%)
    • 33 states and Washington, D.C., reported data by student group, and among this group of states:
      • Black students showed the largest improvements overall, particularly in math. +5 percentage points in 4th grade math and +4 percentage points in 8th grade math, exceeding the gains of All Students and Hispanic Students. In ELA, their improvements were +1-2 percentage points, which is on pace to the overall trend.
  • Highlights for 2024 only:
    • 23 states and Washington, D.C., fully comply with ESSA's reporting requirements while notable gaps remain:
      • 10 states have yet to release data meeting ESSA score reporting requirements.
        • Four of these states have not provided disaggregated data by student groups.
        • Six of these states have yet to release data for more than one achievement level.
      • 13 states have not reported comprehensive student participation rates.
    • Some states saw participation rates as low as 41%. It is particularly important to use caution when looking at student assessment data in four states (Alaska, Colorado, Montana and New York), where participation rates were significantly lower than the required 95%. In Montana, this is explained by the August 2023 Montana Aligned to Standards Through-Year (MAST) Field Test Flexibility waiver granted by the U.S. Department of Education (ED), which allowed schools participating in the MAST pilot to be exempt from participating in the summative assessment. In New York, these lower rates are explained in part by middle school students taking high-school level exams - a move allowable by the ED.
"I'm proud to have a site that now houses four years of data for the vast majority of states. However, I'm concerned that much like the 'asterisk' era of baseball players nominated to the Hall of Fame, states are making moves to change elements of their testing systems that can artificially inflate scores - which is not in the best interest of students,” said Jim Cowen, Executive Director of the Collaborative for Student Success. "These assessments remain a cornerstone for tracking student progress, holding school systems accountable, and helping us identify where additional support is needed to ensure all students thrive - and now more than ever, we must be wary of test system changes that may trigger an Honesty Gap.” 

Assessment HQ also continues to feature analysis and commentary from K-12 policy expert Dale Chu, who provides insights into innovations in K-12 assessments and tracks changes in state accountability systems. Chu emphasized, "While it's tempting for states to frame the data as evidence of recovery, the lack of transparency on disaggregated performance and participation rates tells a more complicated story.”

With 41 states and Washington, D.C., having released their 2023-24 data thus far, Assessment HQ will continue to update as more results become available. Stay informed at www.AssessmentHQ.org.

About Assessment HQ

Assessment HQ is an online platform by the Collaborative for Student Success, providing accessible, centralized insights into statewide annual academic assessments for grades three through eight. The platform offers essential commentary on how this data informs instructional decisions, highlights student mastery and identifies areas for improvement. To learn more, visit www.AssessmentHQ.org.

[1] States reporting data for all students in both 2022 and 2024 included in this analysis are as follows (please note that while Ohio and Washington have released data, it is by grade span and hence not able to be included here) : Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

CONTACT: Josh Parrish

Collaborative for Student Success

[email protected]