HANCOCK COUNTY — Fewer than half of elementary and middle school students in the county recorded passing scores in a key benchmark for the latest round of state standardized tests.
It’s even lower statewide, confirming that students experienced significant academic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Indiana’s top education official.
Scores for the spring 2021 Indiana Learning Evaluation and Readiness Network, or ILEARN, show that 28.6% of students in grades three through eight across the state are at or above proficiency standards in English/language arts and math combined.
Proficiency percentages among Hancock County’s four public school districts for English/language arts and math combined are 48.7% at Southern Hancock, 34.4% at Eastern Hancock, 33.5% at Greenfield-Central and 30.8% at Mt. Vernon.
“We know that English/language arts and math provide the foundational building blocks upon which future learning is achieved, with one year of learning building upon the next,” Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner said in a news release. “These results confirm what we expected, and what we now know — student learning was significantly impacted by COVID-19.”
ILEARN also assesses science in grades four and six; social studies among fifth-graders; and biology and U.S. government for high school students.
ILEARN was first administered in 2019. Statewide, 97% of students in the tested grades participated in this year’s assessment, with results used for informational purposes only. Earlier this year, state legislators passed a “hold harmless” measure for schools, preventing poor results from affecting accountability measurements or teacher evaluations. The assessment was not administered in 2020 due to pandemic-related school closures and a federally granted waiver.
Hancock County public school districts’ ILEARN results are lower in 2021 than in 2019 in almost every category. The Indiana Department of Education cautions against making such comparisons, however, due to variables in instruction from COVID-19 and the disruption of 2020 assessments. Officials say the 2021 results will represent a new Indiana baseline.
The state department of education and National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment, Inc. also presented initial findings this week from Indiana’s COVID-19 Academic Impact Study. The analysis and ILEARN results reflect that the academic impacts of the pandemic were substantial, according to the news release, ranging from moderate to significant across schools, academic subjects and demographic groups.
The study is required as part of House Enrolled Act 1514 from this year’s legislative session. Its first phase will be available later this summer.
ILEARN 2021 results also show that significant gaps persist among Indiana’s racially and ethnically diverse, low-income, special education and English-language-learner students.
“Indiana’s educators have done phenomenal work helping students continue to learn under unprecedented circumstances,” Jenner said. “Now more than ever, every instructional minute counts, and schools cannot do this alone. With data in hand, we must look to the future, and we need everyone to come to the table — educators, parents, community leaders and beyond — to provide individualized support and resources to each and every student.”
Looking ahead, community partners are encouraged to partner with local schools to align curriculum, instructional strategies and student support. The department of education encourages schools to adopt a comprehensive, multi-year response to help all students recover, especially students most significantly impacted. That response, state leaders say, should include understanding the data; intervening with strategic support; acting to meet students at their current level; recognizing that one size does not fit all; innovating to strategically accelerate learning; leveraging time; focusing on student impact; and providing intentional and focused instruction.
The Daily Reporter will publish a story next week exploring the assessments in further detail with reactions and insight from Hancock County school officials.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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Full breakdowns of 2021 ILEARN results by school, school district and other data points are available at in.gov/doe under “Data Center and Reports” in the Menu tab.
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