SEATTLE — An annual report examining the decline in student reading and math proficiencies since the COVID-19 pandemic is giving a glimpse into where Washington state stands with two key indicators of student success.
A majority of eighth graders in Washington state were not proficient in math and a majority of fourth graders were not proficient in reading in recent years, according to the report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Fourth-grade reading and eighth-grade math scores are key indicators of whether or not a student is likely to finish high school, enroll in college, or earn the same as their peers in adulthood, the foundation said.
The foundation's 2024 Kids Count Data Book released this month highlighted the two worsening proficiency rates in the state. The data book examines the decline in math and reading proficiency in classrooms nationwide since the COVID-19 pandemic and offers recommendations for improvement, according to the foundation's website.
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) pushed back on the report and highlighted improvements in education Washington state has seen since the pandemic.
"At a high level, we appreciate that this report focuses on outcomes and access, and we also have questions about some of the methodology," an OSPI spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson said a more "sophisticated analysis" of proficiency rates would measure the state's recovery since test scores dropped during the pandemic.
"National reports like this one can sometimes overlook key differences in states’ data collections and definitions, leading to comparisons across states that are portrayed as apples-to-apples but actually aren’t. Further, test scores in Washington have been trending upwards for the past two years," OSPI said.
According to the foundation's report, 72% of eighth graders were not proficient in math in 2022, an increase from 60% in 2019. The state scored only slightly better than the rest of the nation. Nationally, 74% of eighth graders were not proficient in math. According to the Washington State Report Card, 67.7% of eighth graders did not meet grade-level standards for math in the 2022-23 school year. This number is up from 54.2% as reported in the 2018-19 school year.
In the foundation's report, 66% of fourth graders were not proficient in reading in 2022, a 1% increase from 2019. According to the state's report card, which doesn't separate reading and writing in its English Language Arts assessment, 51% of fourth graders did not meet grade-level standards in 2022, up from 43.1% in the 2018-19 school year.
OSPI highlighted in a statement to KING 5 the improvements the state is seeing including record-high graduation rates last spring and record-high rates of kindergarten readiness this fall. The state also highlighted that it was just one of five states in 2023 to have seen an increase in ACT scores since 2021, in what it calls the first “typical” year after the pandemic.
"Again, we appreciate that this report aims to highlight areas to improve student outcomes and access within our K–12 and early learning systems," the spokesperson said. "We have made progress in every area identified in this report, and we will continue our efforts advocating and pushing for more."
