BOISE, Idaho — Idaho students lost some academic ground during the coronavirus pandemic, with standardized testing scores dropping in math and language arts compared to 2019.
The Idaho Department of Education released the Idaho Standardized Achievement Test scores on Tuesday.
Students showed the biggest decline in math skills, with more than 39% of students testing at proficient or advanced levels this spring. That's compared to just over 44% two years ago.
English language skills had a smaller drop, with just over 54% of students scoring as proficient or advanced compared to 55% in 2019.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra said the results weren't surprising because of the pandemic-related school disruptions.
"The onset of the pandemic in spring 2020 disrupted the ISAT along with all Idaho school operations, so we weren't surprised that scores did not continue the gradual upward trend of the previous few years of testing," Ybarra said. "We expected an impact, and now we can use these results to move forward to rebuild academic performance."
The ISAT is administered each spring (with the exception of 2020) to all public school students in grades 3 through 8 and 10, gauging their proficiency in Mathematics and English Language Arts/ Literacy. Nearly 163,000 students took the test this past spring.
"Efforts are underway throughout the state to address pandemic-caused academic impact through strategies such as high doses of tutoring and extending academic time through summer school, afterschool programs, targeted intervention and other measures," Ybarra said.
Statewide, district and school-level results are available on the Assessment Results web page, along with results for grade levels and demographic groups.
"I know districts and schools throughout the state are committed to identifying and supplying what their students need to succeed, and I am sure our combined efforts will help students regain lost ground and continue on the path to achievement," Ybarra said.
This year, Idaho students in grades 5, 8 and 11 also took a new science ISAT, but no results were reported because it was a "field test," used to check whether the test functioned as intended and to help design the final test form. That test will be administered next year for the first time.
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