WEBVTT - With Students Learning In-Person Again, Tests Scores Have Begin to Rise Again

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<v Speaker 1>It's Monday, March. I'm Oscar Ramirors from the Daily Dive

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<v Speaker 1>podcast in Los Angeles, and this is reopening America. The

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<v Speaker 1>return of in person learning for students is here. Has

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<v Speaker 1>yielded some improvements and test scores in reading and math,

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<v Speaker 1>but still not to pre pandemic levels. Young students still

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<v Speaker 1>seem to be struggling, especially those that were learning to

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<v Speaker 1>read in the last two years. Sarah Randazzo, education reporter

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<v Speaker 1>at the Wall Street Journal, joined us for how test

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<v Speaker 1>scores are rising. Thanks for joining us, Sarah, sure thing,

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<v Speaker 1>let's check in with what's going on with our students

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<v Speaker 1>right now and their test scores. Obviously, throughout the pandemic,

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<v Speaker 1>it was a huge disruptor. We know that it didn't

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<v Speaker 1>do so well for a lot of students that it

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<v Speaker 1>was really tough transitioning to the remote learning, tough to

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<v Speaker 1>keep focus, and we saw test scores dropped through all

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<v Speaker 1>of that, both in reading and math. Right now, what

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<v Speaker 1>we're seeing is a new study showing that students are

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<v Speaker 1>making some of those gains back. They're doing better now

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<v Speaker 1>that in person classes have resoomed in a lot of places,

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<v Speaker 1>but we're still not back to that those pre pandemic levels,

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<v Speaker 1>So a lot of work to be done. There's there's

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<v Speaker 1>so much information here, So Sarah, help us walk through

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<v Speaker 1>some of this. What are we seeing with our students

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<v Speaker 1>now that we're back in school. Yeah, yeah, So for

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<v Speaker 1>a while people have been wondering, will we ever get

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<v Speaker 1>back to that level we would have been at had

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<v Speaker 1>there been no pandemic and kids just continue to learn

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<v Speaker 1>at that a normal pace, and it's looking like, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>being out of school for the two years that many

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<v Speaker 1>kids were out, it's hard to come back from and

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<v Speaker 1>you're not just going to have instant recovery. But so

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<v Speaker 1>what some of these studies are tracking now is looking

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<v Speaker 1>at the growth throughout the school year. So this recent

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<v Speaker 1>study showed, okay, kids started in the fall still much

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<v Speaker 1>further behind than they were the year before, but from

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<v Speaker 1>fall to winter they were really advancing like you would

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<v Speaker 1>expect a kid to advance it within a school year.

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<v Speaker 1>So people are kind of talking now about growth and saying, Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>even if kids maybe don't have all the knowledge they

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<v Speaker 1>would have had pre pandemic, are they just you know,

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<v Speaker 1>from the beginning of the school year to the end,

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<v Speaker 1>are they marching along and learning new skills throughout and

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<v Speaker 1>that you know, a measure of of kids getting back

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<v Speaker 1>to somewhat normal and then doing doing well in school again. Yea,

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<v Speaker 1>our younger kids are still the ones that are set

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<v Speaker 1>back the most. The test results that they looked at

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<v Speaker 1>were four point four million students from kindergarten in twelfth

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<v Speaker 1>grade in reading and then two point nine million students

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<v Speaker 1>in math. And the way you put in the article two,

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<v Speaker 1>so early in the pandemic kids were struggling with matt

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<v Speaker 1>skills the most. A lot of people said, maybe because

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<v Speaker 1>parents weren't as a dept to help them with that.

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<v Speaker 1>Right now, the reading now that you bring us bringing

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<v Speaker 1>us to present time, the reading is still behind right now. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>and so especially and so this um the test results

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<v Speaker 1>came out from a comany called Renaissance. It does something

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<v Speaker 1>called the Star Test that is an optional test districts

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<v Speaker 1>can do to help measure assessment throughout the year. And

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<v Speaker 1>so l fifty states there's kids who take it. And

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<v Speaker 1>so it was as mattering from across the country of

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<v Speaker 1>kids who take these Star tests. And what they found

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<v Speaker 1>is that the kids who really only have had a

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<v Speaker 1>pandemic education of kindergarten in first graders, especially those trying

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<v Speaker 1>to learn to read in that pure are really struggling,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, in all of their growth. And so those

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<v Speaker 1>who haven't yet learned to read really had the lowest

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<v Speaker 1>growth scores of any of the cohort that they looked at.

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<v Speaker 1>And so there's a bit of a concern about those

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<v Speaker 1>kids who are still learning to read or haven't yet

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<v Speaker 1>learned to read, and you know kind of where things

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<v Speaker 1>go for them, because learning to read is crucial for

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<v Speaker 1>pretty much your entire life. As you can imagine, once

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<v Speaker 1>you get to third or fourth grade, they say you

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<v Speaker 1>stop learning to read and start reading to learn. And

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<v Speaker 1>so if you don't have the learning learning to read

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<v Speaker 1>part down, you can't read your science textbook and your

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<v Speaker 1>social studies and then everything everything is built upon that

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<v Speaker 1>base learning right there. So yeah, third grade and fourth

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<v Speaker 1>grade are really critical right there. You know, there was

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of students that attended this program is called

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<v Speaker 1>the Institute of Reading Development. They're a literacy organization, and

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<v Speaker 1>they said about of those entering first grade this school year,

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<v Speaker 1>we're reading below expectations. So just kind of illustrating, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>those kids that we're doing that pandemic reading learning for

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<v Speaker 1>the first time. It is just very difficult for it

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<v Speaker 1>to click for them. Yeah, it's definitely what the institute found,

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<v Speaker 1>and things like phonics and just learning do you know

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<v Speaker 1>the sound? Could you know the sound? You know, the

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<v Speaker 1>students are having to go over that at a later

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<v Speaker 1>age and then maybe some of them would have before.

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<v Speaker 1>And so there's a few building blocks and learning to read.

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<v Speaker 1>Phonics is one of them, and there's a few others,

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<v Speaker 1>and teachers are really having to kind of start at

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<v Speaker 1>the basics again and make sure kids have all those

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<v Speaker 1>building blocks so they can really learn how to read.

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<v Speaker 1>I know there was a lot of conversations going on

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<v Speaker 1>throughout the pandemic that had a lot to do with

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<v Speaker 1>safety and everything. But you know, seeing the declines, seeing

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<v Speaker 1>now the rebounds, although they're not to the pre pandemic levels, right,

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<v Speaker 1>we're talking about that, it really illustrates how important the

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<v Speaker 1>value of in person instruction is for our kids. And

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<v Speaker 1>you spoke to a number of teachers and administrators also.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, they even for themselves, they were pretty alarmed

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<v Speaker 1>when they came back and they saw how stunted they

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<v Speaker 1>were academically and emotionally. Yeah, I spoke with districts in

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<v Speaker 1>the Brea, Sco. Florida and California, so the across section,

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<v Speaker 1>and all of them said that the in person element.

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<v Speaker 1>Returning in person really has just helped hugely um for

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<v Speaker 1>some kids when their home. You know, teachers and administras

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<v Speaker 1>were noticing they just especially the early early readers, they

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<v Speaker 1>just weren't talking to as many people in the day,

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<v Speaker 1>and so they just weren't able to even practice their

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<v Speaker 1>language skills in the way that you are in a

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<v Speaker 1>classroom and things you're being asked of you and you're

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<v Speaker 1>turning to talk to your friend next to you, and

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<v Speaker 1>so just physically being present and being able to engage

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<v Speaker 1>and get more feedback doing hands on games versus just

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<v Speaker 1>reading it all really has helped get kids back. And

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<v Speaker 1>certainly everyone did the best they could. District did everything

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<v Speaker 1>they could to adapt to the online learning, and I

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<v Speaker 1>think a lot of good development and especially good tech

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<v Speaker 1>developments happened where now and more kids have access to

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<v Speaker 1>computers and the like. So it wasn't all bad. But

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<v Speaker 1>there's a lot to be said of being in person

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<v Speaker 1>um and how that helps educate kids and how do

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<v Speaker 1>we continue to get back. You know, some of the

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<v Speaker 1>people you spoke to said they'd like to maybe teach

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<v Speaker 1>your concepts so that the kids could have a deeper

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<v Speaker 1>learning of whatever they're teaching, rather than trying to cram

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<v Speaker 1>everything in trying to make up for so much stuff. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>I think people are trying to rethink, Okay, what does

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<v Speaker 1>it mean to get back to normal? Are we going

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<v Speaker 1>to really try to kick off every single box of

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<v Speaker 1>what someone should have had if if they were having

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<v Speaker 1>a quote normal education, or should we just keep moving

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<v Speaker 1>forward and just try to continue to engage and give

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<v Speaker 1>kids lessons and um, you know, go maybe like that

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<v Speaker 1>one educator, so go maybe deeper on a few concepts

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<v Speaker 1>rather than trying to teach every single thing on a

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<v Speaker 1>chapter test. And so I think educators are looking now

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<v Speaker 1>and figuring out what you know, going forward to get

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<v Speaker 1>back to some kind of normalcy. And I think over

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<v Speaker 1>all they're saying, as long as kids are continuing to

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<v Speaker 1>grow and continue to advance, that's what we can do

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<v Speaker 1>right now. And that's a good good progress and and

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<v Speaker 1>and good for the kids. Right Yeah, some hopeful news.

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<v Speaker 1>Now hopefully we can continue to take those gains back again.

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<v Speaker 1>Sarah Randazzo, education reporter at the Wall Street Journal, thank

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<v Speaker 1>you very much for joining us, sure saying thank you.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Oscar pro Mirrors and this is in reopening America.

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<v Speaker 1>You don't forget that. For today's big news stories, you

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<v Speaker 1>can check me out on the Daily Dive podcast every

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<v Speaker 1>Monday through Friday. So follow us on I Heart Radio

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