Wake schools bounce back in math, but are still down in reading and science, new test data show
Wake County students rebounded to pre-pandemic levels in math, while improvements in reading and science weren’t enough to eclipse levels achieved before Covid-19 sent students home.
New standardized test results, released by the state Wednesday, show that the Wake County Public School System is outperforming most schools in the state in learning recovery, having suffered less learning loss to begin with during the pandemic. The district, as in prior years, is also outperforming the state in overall test scores.
Experts have predicted a full rebound to pre-pandemic scores would take years.
Interim Superintendent Randy Bridges credits the quality of employees with the ability to at least partly bounce back.
“We think that the things that we have in place — outstanding teachers, teachers and administration, a great support system, the board (are helping),” he said.
The improvement comes after efforts such as intensive tutoring, instructional coaches for schools and more monitoring of progress were put in place to help students gain more knowledge than they would in a typical year.
Schools have also been offering more indirect help, such as counselors and other support professionals.
But schools could face new challenges in the years ahead. Federal dollars that are paying for some interventions will expire in just one year, with no clear path to replace the help.
Wake County will need tens of millions of new dollars annually to replace those support staff members. For tutoring, however, it’s largely relying on trained volunteers and nonprofit partnerships. Volunteers are providing frequent, one-on-one or small group sessions with elementary students in reading and math.
- In third through eighth grade reading, proficiency rose from 59.9% in spring 2022 to 60.9% this spring. That’s down from 65.1% five years ago.
- In third through eighth grade math, proficiency rose from 59.5% in spring 2022 to 63.1% this spring. That’s about the same as five years ago, when it was 63.2%. Four years ago it was 65.4%.
- In fifth and eighth grade science, proficiency dropped from 74% in spring 2022 to 73.3% this spring. That’s down from 74.9% five years ago.
- In biology, proficiency rose from 61.4% in spring 2022 to 62% this spring. That’s down from 64.5% five years ago.
- In English II, proficiency was about the same as last year, rising from 70.9% in spring 2022 to 71.1% this spring. That’s up from 69.1% five years ago.
Not every school performed the same. Some did better. Some did worse.
Rand Road Elementary posted grade-level proficiency that was back to pre-pandemic levels. There’s 63.2% of third through eight graders were proficient in reading (up from 44.9% last year), 68.6% of third through eighth graders were proficient in math (up from 46.2% last year) and 83.6% of fifth and eighth graders were proficient in science (up from 49% last year).
School leaders attribute their success to increasing parental involvement and addressing the social-emotional needs of students as they return from the pandemic.
“I really think that helps,” said Dana Robertson, a third grade teacher. “When kids feel like their supported, that you like them that you're actually invested in what they are doing then they will work hard for you.”
Parents told WRAL News they believed many stressors had gotten in the way of school for their children, such as mental health struggles or difficulty adjusting back into school after being remote in 2020 and 2021.
“When I was at home, I felt like I wasn’t able to ask a lot of questions,” said Julian Fuentes, a Rand Road Elementary School student.
Parents told WRAL News they think things have gotten better but believe there’s still room to improve.
“I think that with a strong system of teachers and parents working together and staff working together it will get numbers to where they need to be,” Michelle Dease said.
