Scores above average in 19 of 22 tested areas

By Donnie A. Lucas

Statewide data for the spring 2021 STAAR testing was recently released by the Texas Education Agency, with local scores exceeding state averages in all but one grade level.

Albany scores also exceeded results for Region 14 students in almost every case, However, overall results on every level were lower than the 2019 results due to the disruption in instruction in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

All public schools in Texas were closed in March 2020 due to the pandemic, most switching to remote learning for the remainder of that school year. 

Albany schools resumed in-person instruction at the start of the 2020-2021 school last August, but some students remained at home utilizing remote learning during the first semester.

All local students were required to return to the classroom at the start of the spring semester in January.

“Looking at our scores compared to the state, we scored higher in the ‘Approaches’ category in all grade levels and subjects with the exception of seventh grade reading, math and writing,” superintendent Jonathan Scott. “In the ‘Meets’ category, we scored higher than the state’s average in 15 of 21 areas tested.”

The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) reports three levels of scoring, including “Approaches,” when a student is close to meeting state standards. The next category is “Meets” when a student actually scores at or above the state standard.

A third category, “Masters,” reports scores that well exceed the passing level.

All three categories currently count as passing by the state, although originally the “approaches” category was expected to be phased out. That process is still on hold by TEA due to the pandemic.

All the scores at Nancy Smith Elementary exceeded both the region and state average, with one exception where a local average tied with the regional number.

All of the end-of-course exams administered to students at the high school level also exceeded state and regional averages.

“Considering the year students had because of the pandemic and the expectation set by TEA, our students as a whole did very well,” secondary principal Glen Hill said. “Our teachers met the challenge of overcoming gaps in learning that students may have experienced. They got a lot out of the students during an uncertain period.”

At the junior high level, all scoring averages in the eighth grade also exceeded regional and state averages. However, the results of two of the  three tests given to seventh graders – reading and math – were lower than the average.

“Looking at the averages across the state, math scores took the hardest hit, not just locally,” Hill said. “There are foundational concepts that are formulated at that level and some students missed during the spring of 2020 because of COVID-19, but we are addressing that.”

Hill has reported that a voluntary “math camp” was held in June for seventh graders to help close any gaps.

Also, 10 of the seventh graders in the 2020-21 school year took seventh and eighth grade math concurrently in order to take Algebra I as eighth graders. Those 10 students did not take the seventh grade math test, but were required to take the eighth grade test.

“We are also planning to start math tutoring starting ‘Day 1’ this year for those students who need extra support in the fundamentals,” Hill said.

TEA Commissioner Mike Morath released a statement along with the statewide scores last week.

“As a result of the learning disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of students not meeting grade level increased from 2019 across all subject areas and grade levels, with English I and II being the only exceptions,” Morath said. “As an area, math reflects the largest decline in proficiency across all grade levels.”

The commissioner also said that districts with a higher percentage of students learning virtually experienced a greater degree of decline.

He said that early in the pandemic the state prioritized in-person learning when possible.

“It is painfully clear that the pandemic had a very negative impact on learning,” he said. “I shudder to consider the long-term impact on children in states that restricted in-person instruction.”

The commissioner said while the data may be “disheartening,” teachers and school leaders are building plans of action to support students in the coming school year.

Albany ISD is using federal funds given schools through a COVID-19 relief grant to purchase materials and software to both identify and remediate students, as well as hire additional instructional staff.

Scott stressed that the district is investing in developing solutions to find out where each student stands and how to supply support for the learning that may have been lost.

The district was allotted just over $750,000 through TEA as part of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Grant III, which the federal government approved in the American Rescue Plan Act that passed in March 2021.

Administrators are working to put together a comprehensive plan that involves both additional personnel and programs to meet the needs of students who suffered gaps in learning during the pandemic.

An interventionist has been hired or reassigned for each of the two campuses for the coming school year to facilitate benchmark testing and coordinate individualized instruction for students who are behind due to the time and instruction missed during the pandemic.

The grant requires that at least 20 percent of the funding be spent to remediate for learning loss due to the pandemic.