The math problem From the cover
Zooming out
The overview
early on. Texas students take early reading “screen- ers,” which measure reading comprehension and development, at the beginning of kindergarten, but there is not a similar requirement for math. However, LISD administers universal screeners to measure students’ math performance beginning in kindergarten, district officials said. On the state level, this means many students with math deficiencies are not identified until they begin taking the STAAR in third grade, Grantham said. Furthermore, Grantham said districts and the state need to make sure math teachers have access to ongoing professional development opportunities. According to Texas 2036, 36% of Texas principals say their teachers “demonstrate a deep understand- ing” of math teaching methods. “Math is a hard subject to teach because it requires so much content and pedagogical knowl- edge; you have to understand the actual mathemat- ical concepts you’re teaching and also know how to teach math well, which is exceptionally difficult,” Grantham said.
In 2019, an average of 52% of Texas students across all grades met grade level on the math STAAR—the highest percent since the inception of the test in 2012. The test was not administered in 2020 due to the pandemic. In 2021, student performance statewide fell by 15 percentage points, a decline experts largely attribute to learning loss following remote learning and the stresses of the pandemic. However, experts say the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted existing issues with math education, including insufficient training for teachers and a lack of early intervention for struggling students. “The narrative around education right now is, how do we get back to pre-COVID levels? But the reality of the situation is, even at our peak, [math] achievement was at [52%],” said Gabe Grantham, an education policy adviser for nonpartisan think tank Texas 2036. “We have to dream a lot bigger than just prepandemic levels.” Grantham said state leaders need to ensure schools identify students who struggle with math
Taken each spring, students receive a STAAR score of “did not meet grade level,” “approaches grade level,” “meets grade level” or “masters grade level” for each subject. Students who approach their grade level and above have passed the test, while students who meet their grade level and above are considered proficient. The setback in LISD scores this year comes as students across the state have struggled to return to pre-coronavirus pandemic test scores in math. Local and state math performance has improved some but has yet to return to performance levels from 2019. This year's scores are the first since 2021 that have declined across the board, according to data from the Texas Education Agency.
Passage rate changes Despite performing above statewide averages in most grade levels on the math STAAR, LISD saw some greater dips from 2023 to 2024.
Leander ISD
Statewide
Statewide math performance for all grade levels Schools began administering the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness in 2012. The Texas Education Agency has not yet released information about combined statewide performance on the 2024 exams across all grade levels.
-15 -10 -5 +5 +15 +10 0
60%
50%
40%
30%
0
Math
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
*THE STAAR WAS NOT ADMINISTERED IN 2020 DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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