D.C. students performed better than they did last year in annual statewide assessments on English Language Arts (ELA) and math, but their proficiency rates remain lower than they were just before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data the Bowser administration released Thursday shows that across all assessed grade levels (third grade through high school), students had a 2.9 percentage point gain in ELA from last year, and a 2.6 percentage point gain in math.

This improvement from 2022 is comparable to year-over-year gains before the pandemic – in 2019, performance had been improving for several consecutive years. (Some data in the report released Thursday included rounded numbers for 2019 data. WAMU/DCist’s comparison is calculated based on the data released in 2019.)

Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn said the data shows the city is “on the right path.”

“We are making steady progress in the teeth of this pandemic’s ravages,” Kihn said. “But we have much more to do.”

Students are especially behind in math. Overall, 21.8% are “meeting or exceeding expectations” in the subject – about 9% lower than in 2019. The gap from 2019 was narrower for ELA, at about 3% lower: 33.7% of students are meeting or exceeding expectations this year.

Participation in the assessments was higher this year than last year, at more than 95% of students.

State Superintendent of Education Christina Grant said her office is encouraged by the results and that students, teachers, and their families “have been working extremely hard.”

“I’m really proud of the assessment season that we’ve just had,” Grant said at a press conference. “None of this would be possible without the exceptional set of educators, school leaders, and LEA leaders that we have in this city.” (LEA stands for Local Education Agency. DCPS is one, as is each public charter school organization.)

Improvements from last year varied across grade levels. Middle schoolers had the highest improvement in ELA, at 4.5 percentage points; while elementary school students had the highest improvement in math, at 4.2 percentage points. High schoolers (who also had lower participation in the assessments) improved the least, at 0.2 percentage points in both ELA and math.

Improvements from 2022 also varied depending on socioeconomic factors. While students who are considered economically disadvantaged improve by 2.7 percentage points in ELA and 1.4 percentage points in math (such as those who receive SNAP benefits or are experiencing homelessness), those who are not economically disadvantaged saw higher improvements.

All racial and ethnic groups improved in math, and most improved in ELA (Asian students scored 1.8% lower and “Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander” students 1.6% lower than in 2022). White students continue to have the highest proficiency rates overall, at about 60 percentage points higher than Black students. Of students with disabilities who took the standard assessment (an alternative is available), more than half received a Level 1 score – the lowest of the five proficiency levels – for both math and ELA

District education officials say they are directing nearly $1 billion in federal stimulus funds to support “recovery and restoration” of students across all grade levels. The Office of the State Superintendent of Education will be using those funds for “critical areas,” including high-impact tutoring in ELA and math, targeted training for educators in ELA and math, high-quality instructional materials, reducing chronic absenteeism, and improving student well being.

Federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding, which has helped schools throughout the pandemic, will be expiring next year. Grant says thinking strategically about how to use those last funds will be “top of mind” this year.

Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement that the pandemic has had “a significant impact on our children and teens.”

“But we also know that with the right supports and with our tremendous educators who are ready to love and challenge students on day one, we can keep students moving in the right direction,” Bowser said.

Schools will be sending out individual student reports to families in September. Grant says statewide assessments will have a new name next year, but that they will be of the “same high quality” and that results from those assessments will be comparable to previous years. (The current assessment is called The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC.)

Maryland education officials also released data on state assessments earlier this week. Students’ proficiency rates in ELA were the highest since 2015. But like students in D.C., their math scores – while an improvement from last year – remain behind pre-pandemic levels.