Overview

In the face of a national trend described as a "reading recession," certain California school districts, specifically Compton Unified School District and Modesto City Schools, are witnessing a notable improvement in reading and math scores. This positive development is attributed to years of academic reforms and data-driven interventions.

District leaders emphasize their commitment to literacy development and are now looking to apply their successful strategies to enhance mathematics performance as well.

Key details

  • Compton Unified School District and Modesto City Schools are improving in reading faster than similar districts.
  • The term "reading recession" refers to a decline in reading proficiency identified by researchers.
  • Years of sustained academic reforms and data-driven interventions are credited for the improvements.
  • Vanessa Buitrago, superintendent of Modesto City, expressed confidence in their literacy development efforts.
  • The findings are based on data from the Education Scorecard, which compares test scores across over 5,000 districts in 38 states.
  • The Education Scorecard was released by researchers from Harvard, Stanford, and Dartmouth.
  • More than 500 districts in California were included in the analysis.
  • The project aims to highlight both successful and struggling districts in local recovery efforts.
  • State test scores were aligned with results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for comparisons.
  • The nationwide reading recession reportedly began around 2013 and worsened after the pandemic.
  • Modesto City Schools and Compton Unified School District maintained their reforms during the pandemic.
  • Both districts utilize internal assessments to quickly identify and support struggling students.

Context

The Education Scorecard highlights the contrasting performance of districts during a challenging period for education, particularly in reading and math, as many schools faced disruptions due to the pandemic.

What happens next

With their focus on literacy development, district leaders are now exploring strategies to translate their successes in reading to improvements in mathematics.

What we don't know yet

Details regarding the specific academic reforms implemented by the districts and the exact metrics of improvement in reading and math scores are not confirmed.