D.C. students performed slightly better on standardized tests this year than in 2023, newly released data shows, but city leaders say they’re still pushing to get students performing at the same levels they were before the pandemic.
When students took exams this spring, 34 percent were meeting or exceeding expectations in reading, up a third of a percentage point from last year. In math, 22.8 percent of children were on grade level — up 0.7 of a point.
Test scores in the District have steadily improved since a pandemic-induced slump during the 2021-22 school year, but are still far off from the way students performed before the public health emergency upended in-person learning.
“We are pleased with these results. And, we are not satisfied,” said Paul Kihn, the city’s deputy mayor for education.
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Leaders also credit the recent growth to the expansion of high-impact tutoring, in which students who are the furthest behind get regular help in small groups. A Stanford University evaluation of the city’s programs recently showed they are helping students improve academically and attend school more often. But funding for the initiative is dwindling as millions of dollars in one-time pandemic relief runs out. This year, the city will spend $4.8 million to keep some programs running.
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