New data – shared exclusively with the Associated Press – builds upon a painful picture of learning loss.
But students lost about half a year in math.
Even before the pandemic, Texas leaders made a concerted effort to improve literacy. The state required early-grade educators to attend reading academies and study the science behind how students learn to decode language. And despite this year’s increase, Black students in Texas are still performing more than a grade level behind the national average in reading, according to the new data. Black students gained the equivalent of nearly 30% of a school year between 2019 and 2022.
In Dallas, the district is working to expand the number of reading interventionists working at campuses serving predominantly Black students.“The better they know about the patterns of learning loss, the more they’re going to be able to target their resources effectively to reduce educational inequality of opportunity and help children and communities thrive,” said Sean Reardon, of the Stanford Graduate School of Education.
“What is it going to take to get those students to get a year-and-a-half or two years of growth in one year?” she said.recently highlighted Dallas ISD’s approachDISD’s “high-priority schools”— which are often in low-income communities and serve many families of color and immigrants — were prioritized for robust, free after-school programming. The activities there included tutoring and other enrichments that are more often available to wealthier children.