NC school test scores continue bounce-back from pandemic drop

North Carolina students scored better once again on most of their standardized tests this spring than last year, indicating the rebound toward pre-pandemic academic achievement is continuing.

Still, leaders want to see more improvements and more support to help schools make them.

With the exception of fourth and seventh grade reading, eighth grade science, biology and Math 3, all test scores were higher than last year. That means they were higher on all third through eighth grade math tests, Math 1, English II, fifth grade science and reading in third, fifth, sixth and eighth grades.

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction presented the results to the State Board of Education on Wednesday.

Test scores are still below what they were prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, when learning was disrupted by months of remote learning.

DPI officials have been saying since 2022 that a full rebound could take four to five years.

“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done,” Superintendent Catherine Truitt said, noting that state and federal funding are insufficient to address the needs schools have to turn around their test results. She’d like proficiency levels – when a student meets grade-level expectations – to be much higher.

Tammy Howard, the Department of Public Instruction’s senior director of its accountability and testing office, said the state is almost back to pre-pandemic levels, estimating about a 97% return. That’s not all the way back, but getting there, she said.

Schools have spent hundreds of millions of dollars the last few years on learning recovery efforts, including intensive tutoring, instructional coaches, after-school and summer programming and hiring more support staff. The temporary federal money used to fund those efforts runs dry Sept. 30.

The results were:

• In third through eighth-grade reading, proficiency from last year for all but fourth and seventh grades. They remained behind levels from five years ago. Passage rates ranged from 48.3% to 52.6%.
• In third through eighth-grade math, proficiency rose across grade levels from last year but remained behind levels from five years ago. Passage rates ranged from 46.7% to 62.4%, with higher passage rates for younger grades.
• In fifth grade science, proficiency dropped from 65.1% in spring 2023 to 66% this spring. That’s down from 72.6% five years ago. In eighth grade science, proficiency dropped slightly from 70.2% in spring 2023 to 70.0% this spring. That’s down from 78.6% five years ago.
• In biology, proficiency dropped from 54.1% in spring 2023 to 53.4% this spring. That’s down from 59.6% six years ago.
• In English II, proficiency rose from 58.3% in spring 2023 to 59.5% this spring. That’s about the same as 59.7%, achieved five years ago.

Test results varied by school and by demographic. Proficiency rates at schools with higher nonwhite student populations were worse, Truitt noted. They were also worse for students in those demographics and students who are lower-income. DPI will provide a deeper analysis of demographic differences at next month's board meeting, at the board's request.

Truitt and State Board of Education members said Wednesday they wanted test scores to be higher, but they noted the need for more support for schools.

“These proficiency scores are startling,” Truitt said. “They were startling before the pandemic and they are still startling.”

She pointed out that 86.9% of students graduated in spring 2024, steady with graduation rates over the past several years, in spite of lower percentages of students passing their standardized exams in high school.

“What does that say about the students we’re graduating?” she said.

Truitt and State Board of Education members said Wednesday they wanted test scores to be higher, but they noted the need for more support for schools.

“These proficiency scores are startling,” Truitt said. “They were startling before the pandemic and they are still startling.”

Truitt said schools that score too low are required to show progress in subsequent years, by state and federal law. But state and federal funding to support turnaround is minimal and staffing is low, Truitt said Wednesday. That echoes comments she made to lawmakers earlier this year.

Something needs to change, she said.

“We cannot expect our teachers to keep doing the same thing over and over and expect different results,” Truitt said.

Board Member Catty Moore, a former superintendent of Wake County schools, said too many directives come down from too many places that don’t necessarily align. Teachers need consistency from federal and state agencies, districts and principals, she said. That would help teachers focus.

“That is something where until we fix we are not going to see changes,” Moore said.