Texas test scores reveal uneven recovery after pandemic learning losses

Statewide test results released on Tuesday reveal mixed progress in student performance across Texas. While reading scores show signs of recovery, math results remain below pre-pandemic levels for all grades. The data highlights ongoing challenges in education following the pandemic disruptions. Only 45% of students in grades 3-8 met grade-level standards in math this year, with 55% achieving the same in reading. In seventh grade, just 48% passed math, a sharp drop from 73% in 2019. Houston ISD mirrored this trend, with 49% passing seventh-grade math compared to 69% five years ago.

Despite these declines, the Texas Education Agency noted some improvement. Passing rates for math either held steady or rose compared to last year for every grade level. Social studies scores also showed growth from 2023, though they remain behind pre-pandemic figures.

The TEA linked the dip in seventh-grade math to more students taking the more advanced eighth-grade assessment. On average, math passing rates are over 10 percentage points lower than in 2019. The agency also clarified that students only need to be 'approaching' grade-level skills to pass, with the stricter 'meets grade level' benchmark down 5% from pre-pandemic levels. The TEA will publish its annual A-F accountability ratings for schools and districts in August. These ratings will heavily weigh performance on standardised tests. The results will reflect whether recent gains in reading and partial improvements in math are enough to offset lingering pandemic-era setbacks.