Standardized iReady test scores have shown an increase in students one or more grade levels behind, according to data presented at the Long Beach Unified School District’s board meeting Wednesday, Oct. 19.
A little over 41,000 students participated in the iReady Diagnostics tests in September, the first diagnostic of the school year. Test scores from the previous academic year—taken in late May and early June—showed varying degrees of growth among grade levels, but the most recent data shows a decline in students at or above their grade level in elementary and middle school math.
Eighty-six percent of elementary school students are at least one level behind in math—a 33% increase since the last diagnostic. At the middle school level, 77% of students are at least one grade behind—a 13% increase from June.
Subsequently, the percentage of students at or above their grade level in math has declined since the last iReady tests. Only 14% of elementary school students and 22% of middle schoolers are at or above their grade level compared to the 47% of elementary and 36% of middle school students in June.
iReady reading levels, however, have remained more consistent among middle school students with only a 5% decrease in students at or above their grade level and a 5% increase in students one or more levels below.
Elementary school iReady reading scores revealed that 71% of students are scoring below their grade level—21% more than in June. This means that only 28% of elementary students are testing at or above their grade level, 22% less than the previous data.
SBAC data reveals a decline in growth for all students, particularly Black students
The board also discussed the results of the most recent Standard Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) testing scores—a one-time annual assessment done in late spring.
Superintendent Jill Baker called SBAC scores a “lagging indicator of student success” since it only reveals data about the particular moment in time the test was taken, as opposed to iReady testing which tracks students’ progress throughout the year.
“iReady data allows for the idea that a teacher can look at their class report and take action,” Baker said. “It helps them with resources, it helps them with the opportunity to group students, it gives them ways of thinking about reteaching and acceleration.”
Baker also said that the SBAC scores essentially corroborated what the district already knew about students’ experiences over the last few years. According to Baker, the district had been taking actions based on the data that was already available in spring and then incorporating SBAC information as it was released.
Most racial/ethnic groups had been making progress in SBAC English Language Arts (ELA) and math before the pandemic, but progress declined during and post-pandemic.
Whereas all students declined in ELA between the 2018-19 and 2021-22 academic years, students of color, especially Black students, show a greater decline.
Eighty-two percent of Black students did not meet the SBAC math criteria and 66% did not meet the ELA criteria, compared to white students who tested at 59% and 72% respectively.
Board member Juan Benitez highlighted the decline as an “exacerbation of equity gaps.”
“Ultimately, we want to see gaps at the very least diminished,” Benitez said. “The ultimate goal [is to] completely eliminate it in the spirit of equity, but there’s a conversation nationally and at the state level around equity of opportunity versus equality of outcome right here.”
Baker said the district is working directly with principals and teachers to address these gaps.
“What also matters is that everything that is talked about here [is in] alignment to what happens at the school building, at the classroom building, how teachers get to work together, use each other as resources … that they are supported with professional learning experiences that help them to ensure that they have the skills and feel confident in meeting the needs of students in their classroom,” Baker said.
