Test scores remain virtually unchanged from last year, but SAT scores took a dip in a couple categories.

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Delaware’s state-wide test scores from the 2023-2024 school year were released Thursday, and while they are still very low, they did not get any worse than last year.

That might not be saying much, as education experts across the state have been calling the low scores a “crisis” for multiple years now.

“The 2024 student assessment results offer important insights into current proficiency levels in Delaware public schools and highlight areas where intensified efforts are needed,” said Julia Keleher, chief strategy and operating officer of First State Educate. “While there have been slight improvements in some areas, it is clear that significant work remains to ensure all Delaware students reach their full potential.”

Last year’s scores followed the trend of suboptimal results over the last couple decades in Delaware.

School test scores dismal again despite new math, reading plans

Thursday’s release showed that 40 percent of students in grades three to eight scored at or above their grade’s proficiency level this year, which is the same proficiency as last year.

Math scores actually went up by one percentage point, from 32 percent last year to 33 percent of students in grades three to eight this year meeting proficiency standards.

Overall, proficiency remains below the pre-pandemic levels in 2019, which were 53 percent in English language arts and 44 percent in math.

Keleher said since they are still below pre-pandemic levels, it underscores the ongoing challenges faced by students and educators alike.

“These results spotlight how great our students’ needs remain,” Secretary of Education Mark Holodick said. “Schools across the state have been investing in extended learning time, tutoring, high quality instructional materials, social emotional learning efforts and more. We must continue to evaluate student needs and provide appropriate supports.”

Keleher said First State Educate encourages the Delaware Department of Education to produce white papers or briefs that provide clear, actionable guidance on effectively implementing interventions like high-dosage tutoring, professional learning communities and coaching.

“Documenting the specific impacts on different student subgroups and overall school proficiency rates will help ensure that these strategies can be successfully adopted statewide,” she said. “Furthermore, they will provide school board members with a clear understanding of the resource commitment required to implement these approaches effectively.”

What the test scores mean

The data for those grade levels is based on the state-administered Smarter Balanced Assessment, an end-of-the-year test that measures the abilities of students in grades three through eight in math and reading.

The scores have four achievement levels: 1 means the student does not meet standards, 2 indicates a student nearly meets standards, 3 means the student meets standards and 4 means the student “exceeds standards.”

For high school statewide assessment, Delaware uses the SAT, and is one of a handful of states that requires all high schoolers to take the test.

This year, 45 percent of students scored proficient or higher on the reading test, up 1 percentage point from last year.

Math yielded 18 percent proficiency, down 5 percentage points from last year.

On the essay test, 37 percent of students were proficient, down 5 percentage points from last year.

In 2019, 48 percent scored proficient or higher on the reading test with 28 percent doing so in math and 42 percent on the essay.

Earlier this summer, the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 54-page report listed Delaware as 45th in education – or sixth worst in the entire country.

National child wellbeing report puts Delaware 45th in education

Keleher said it’s important to note that these results do not provide information about student growth over time, which is crucial for understanding the full impact of educational interventions.

Similarly, she said, it is critical to identify and address other factors contributing to the varying results across different grades and subjects.

Some districts, like Seaford School District in English language arts, showed steady improvement in the past five years. 

The Department of Education credits Seaford’s growth due to its consistency with its High Quality Instructional Material Tier 1 resources prior to, during and post-pandemic. 

“The district also is diligent in its implementation of Seaford’s professional learning plan to increase the knowledge of current staff and onboard new staff,” the education department stated. “Seaford staff use Interim Assessment Block (IAB) data to look at trends in the data and pinpoints upcoming intersections of its curricula that they could be more intentional about during instruction.”

Seaford’s leaders noted these factors for their student success: 

•  Students have access to high quality Tier 1 instruction with appropriate accommodations. 
• Students receive these accommodations all year during instruction to help them meet grade level standards. 
• Students are placed with staff they feel comfortable with on testing days. 
• IABs are used for practice throughout the year.
• Educators constantly review all of a student’s data to determine what the student needs to be successful. 

Interim Assessment Blocks are intended to provide educators the ability to check where students are at that moment in time, and use results to determine next steps for instruction in order to prepare them for the end of the year state test.

Tier 1 instruction is the standard high-quality, general education that is provided to all students in a regular classroom setting. 

“We want to extend our congratulations to the students, educators, and families at Brandywine School District’s Harlan Elementary School, Capital School District’s East Dover Elementary and Towne Point Elementary, Charter School of New Castle, Kuumba Academy Charter School and Woodbridge School District’s Phillis Wheatley Elementary School for their notable gains,” Keleher said.

She added that First State Educate commends Seaford School District and invite them to collaborate with them in a webinar to help school boards better understand effective strategies for improving outcomes, particularly for students with special needs.

“While we celebrate these successes, our collective goal remains to elevate Delaware’s proficiency levels into the top quartile nationally,” Keleher said. “Achieving this will require ongoing commitment, collaboration, and the strategic implementation of proven interventions.”

Much of the state’s focus of the past year has been on early literacy, with the common mantra that “before grade three, students learn to read, and after grade three, students read to learn,” showing that it’s pivotal they develop a strong literacy by the third grade.

This state effort was reflected in some schools with small spikes in English language arts proficiency, but not all schools. 

Those that did improve are essentially going from bad to less bad, like at Brandywine School District’s Harlan Elementary School, where 27 percent of students were proficient in English language arts this year, up from six percent last year.

Holodick said that just looking at the statewide data doesn’t tell the full story.

“To really understand what’s working and what needs adjustment, we must disaggregate the results to dig into the district, charter and school building data including grade level and demographic results,” Holodick said. “That’s how we can determine which interventions are having impact and affecting outcomes.”

Keleher said First State Educate agrees with Holodick about the importance of disaggregating data to understand the full picture.

“Examining results by district, school, and demographic groups is crucial for identifying successes and areas needing improvement,” she said. “First State Educate will analyze 2024 achievement data and share our findings in a fall webinar.”

She said the group’s analysis of the recently released results will also inform their September community action meetings and school board workshops, where they will focus on data-driven decision-making.

Download full results on the Delaware Open Data Portal.

Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.

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