Many Salado ISD students excelled during the coronavirus crisis, but not remote learners.
Despite an evident decline in student performance during the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exams this past spring, Salado ISD Superintendent Michael Novotny said his districtâs student body still tested above the stateâs scores â a challenge he stressed was overcome during an era of pandemic-related learning loss.
âOur STAAR scores took a dip from two years ago, like all districts statewide did, but thankfully we were still above state scores,â he told the Telegram. âBut remote learners ⦠did have the greatest decrease in scores.â
As educators throughout Texas prepare for the upcoming school year in a post-pandemic setting, administrators are devising plans to address learning losses spurred by remote instruction â losses that the Texas Education Agency said were clearly evident in studentsâ 2021 standardized testing results.
In late June, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath had revealed that in-person learnersâ 2021 testing results during the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exams this past spring were âappreciably higherâ than their peers enrolled under remote instruction.
TEA officials observed four key changes: the number of students not meeting grade level expectations increased from 2019, mathematics saw the sharpest decline in student proficiency, districts with higher percentages of virtual learners experienced greater declines and districts with higher percentages of in-person learners avoided most declines.
Texas has unlocked an additional $4.1 billion in federal funds meant to help primary and secondary students and schools recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The funds come from the American Rescue Plan Act signed by President Joe Biden in March. The state received two-thirds of the $12.4 billion allotted for Texas public schools, but the federal government required state officials to outline how they plan to help students catch up from learning disruptions to access the remaining third.
On Wednesday, Texas was among the first seven states to receive plan approval from the U.S. Department of Education. Texas proposal prioritizes students mental health needs and addresses the time students lost for instruction due to the pandemic, according to the Texas Education Agency.
The most ‘Do you miss me?’ quotes of the week
Trump on being missed, Thai food, NFTs, the Eucharist and much more.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a rally at the Lorain County Fairgrounds, Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Wellington, Ohio.(Tony Dejak)
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Do you miss me? They miss me.”
Former President Donald Trump, to applause at a rally in Wellington, Ohio, his first rally since Jan. 6. (Saturday,
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“So to the extent that you had more students of color who were remote, more white students who were in person, then you’re going to see disproportionality.
It’s not so much a function of anything other than who was choosing to be remote all year long or who was encouraged in some cases by various actors in the system to stay remote all year long.”
How local school districts measured in testing after dramatic drop in STAAR test scores
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Dramatic drop in STAAR test scores
HOUSTON – The number of students failing to meet grade-level went up statewide across all grade levels and nearly all subject areas according to results of the Spring 2021 STAAR test released Monday by the Texas Education Agency.
In a press release, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath called the data “disheartening” adding, ”teachers and school leaders are building action plans to support students in the new school year with policymakers directing resources where they are needed the most.”
KPRC 2 reviewed data provided by TEA for three of the Houston area’s largest school districts: