California student test scores drop in math, English

LOS ANGELES (NewsNation) — The release of California’s standardized test scores revealed that more than half of students failed to meet English and math standards.

However, while scores did fall, Gov. Gavin Newsom pointed out that the scores didn’t decrease as much as the rest of the country.

“California focused on keeping kids safe during the pandemic while making record investments to mitigate learning loss and transforming our education system,” Newsom said in a press release. “While California’s students experienced less learning loss than those in most other states during the pandemic, these results are not a celebration but a call to action – students are struggling academically and we need to keep getting them the resources they need to thrive.” 

California offered primarily virtual learning to students over fears of coronavirus transmission.

The state’s students held steady in reading while the rest of the nation declined, and the decrease in math scores wasn’t as significant as in other states. However, fewer than half of California students met the English language arts standard, dropping four percentage points. And one-third of students performed at standard in math, which is a six-and-a-half point decline.

Dr. Christopher Nellum, an executive director at The Education Trust, said the declines could have been a lot worse.

He encourages parents to consider their child’s school district data to see where improvements can be made.

“I would say also don’t panic, I know that’s hard as a parent, but go to the school and find ways to engage. Ask hard questions,” Nellum said.

One of the biggest concerns that remains is closing the learning gap between white students and students of color. The scores reflected that 84% of Black students and 79% of Latino and low-income students did not meet math standards.