Most Alabama students made gains in most subjects on 2024 spring standardized tests, but officials are concerned about second and third grade math results, officials said Tuesday.
“We had some weird trends in math,” Alabama State Superintendent Eric Mackey said, pointing to a lower percentage of second and third graders reaching proficiency this year as compared to 2023.
“That question of why, why, why, why, why has been asked a thousand times in this building in the last few days,” Mackey said, but officials don’t yet have a good answer for the lower results.
That was one of two “disturbing” trends in math, he said.
The other trend, Mackey said, is that seventh and eighth grade students are less proficient in math than students in early grades. Those students will need support to make it through high school.
“They have gaps in their knowledge,” Mackey said. “So when they go into Algebra I they’re going to struggle,” he said.
Alabama has made a sustained push to improve reading and literacy instruction in early grades over the last five years; now, the state is turning its attention to elementary math instruction.
The Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program standardized tests were given to students in second through eighth grade - between 52,000 to 55,000 students in each grade - in math and English language arts. Fourth, sixth and eighth grade students also were tested in science.
See state-level results by grade and subject level. Click here if you are unable to see the table.
Reading scores
English language arts test results - which include reading skills, comprehension, spelling and writing - were up across all grades, which Mackey attributed to the success of the Alabama Reading Initiative. Specialists are working to implement the Alabama Literacy Act, which focuses on foundational reading skills, including phonics, in kindergarten through third grade. See school-level information about reading scores here.
But even with that good news, Mackey said he is still troubled by the number of students in the fourth through eighth grades scoring at the lowest level in reading and English skills.
Just under 20% of fourth graders scored at the lowest level on the ACAP, which Mackey said is a real problem.
“Those students are going to struggle when somebody puts a science book in front of them,” Mackey said.
“It validates that we really need to emphasize the need to focus on grades 4 through 8 in the area of reading,” Board Vice President Tonya Chestnut said
Mackey has continually pressed for more funding for reading support in the fourth grade and beyond. Lawmakers allocated $5 million for the coming budget year to support those efforts.
Math and science results
Students who are significantly impacted by a disability - generally around 700 to 800 students at each grade, or just above 1% of all students tested - are given an alternate test based on the alternate standards students are taught.
In math, results were mixed on the ACAP alternate, with proficiency levels up in about half of the grades tested.
Science proficiency levels were up in all grades, with the exception of the 11th grade, where the same percentage of students were proficient this year as there were last year.
English learners and students with disabilities
English learners take the ACCESS test to determine whether they’ve learned enough English to no longer be considered an English learner. About 5% of the 46,500 English learners tested, or 2,100 students, reached that benchmark.
“This is a growing population,” Mackey said, pointing to the number of students tested, which has grown significantly from 37,000 in 2022.
High school juniors take the ACT with writing, which includes all three subjects: math, English language arts and science. The overall composite score on the ACT with writing was a 17.4, the same as last year.
Schools have their test results now but are currently in the process of verifying results, he said.
District and school results will be released in August, Mackey said.