Heading into testing season, Central High School’s math scores are a concern. Has the school been able to address them?
Just 24% of students at Central High School are proficient in mathematics, according to the SD Department of Education State Report Card. Scores are based on the SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium) statewide test, which shows that math proficiency at CHS has dropped by 17% since 2018. Over the same time period, Rapid City Stevens High School also saw a significant decline of 15% for math proficiency. The change is not just local. In fact, the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress, more often known as the Nation’s Report Card) shows that not a single U.S. state saw increased math proficiency between 2019 and 2022. Instead, 43 states had a score decrease, and only 10 showed stable scores with no change in either direction.
The reasons for this decrease are still tangled and unclear. Numerous factors have been attributed as possible causes of the decline. The most prominent issue for students at CHS seems to be a lack of content retained from middle school math classes. In an interview, CHS math teacher Brynne Birkeland said much of class time is spent trying to recover lost skills and knowledge students were supposed to have learned already. This means students are entering into lower-level math classes once they reach high school. When the time to take the SBAC comes around during junior year, students are unprepared because they have not covered the necessary material. A typical progression of math is Algebra 1, Geometry, then Algebra 2. For the test, juniors are expected to have taken Algebra 2, but some have only had Geometry. Even juniors currently taking Algebra 2 at the time of the test are unprepared, because they haven’t completed the class yet. Teachers try to help students catch up with practice tests and mini-units, but cramming in content right before the test is only a temporary fix that does not address the root of the issue.
Mrs. Birkeland says another possible cause of the score drop is the genuine life-concerns students have that take priority over the test. If the basics like a student’s physical and mental needs aren’t met, they simply don’t have the time or energy to worry about the test. There is also no incentive to do well on the test. The SBAC is used only by the state to gather data, as opposed to the ACT or SAT which students can use for college applications. Many students simply don’t have any motivation to try their best on the standardized test.
“I can’t change concern and effort,” said Mrs. Birkeland, “but it has to get better . . . students have to want to learn.”
Other factors like the long-lasting effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and technology such as phones in schools may have played a role in the decline. Mrs. Birkeland has observed that students overall seem more unfocused and unwilling to put in effort to learn, some choosing to retreat to their phones instead of using class time for work. “I don’t think your state test score determines who you are, but it is concerning,” Mrs. Birkeland said.
Although the situation seems dire, teachers and administrators are working to change things for the better. In addition to helping students directly, Mrs. Birkeland has also tried to get families involved by sending out emails so parents and guardians know what their student is learning and if they have an upcoming test they should be preparing for. Central also has a school improvement team that meets throughout the month to go over data, create surveys, and make plans for the future. Improving SBAC scores is one of the schoolwide goals set by this team, along with increasing attendance and graduation rates. It is currently unknown if the decline in math proficiency will have any long term effects.
Photo: IMG_0001 by Woodley Wonderworks on Flickr
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