- Waco ISD has a 20 to 25 percent lower grade average than the state of Texas.
- The main reasons for lower grades is due to gaps caused by COVID-19 pandemic.
- 14 of 18 elementary and middle school campuses improved their scores
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"If you're having problems in reading, you're probably going to have problems in math as well," Faith Nuñez said.
After comparing the numbers for Waco's STAAR test results from this spring and last spring, and comparing them with statewide averages, the numbers show both negative and positive results.
Waco has a major gap compared to the state average.
Comparing Grades Three through Eight, there's a big difference in reading and math — Waco is about 20 to 25 percent lower than the state average when it comes to not passing those portions of the STAAR test.
Students in Waco generally scored lower in all subjects compared to the state average.
Nuñez with Sylvan Learning says one of the main reasons for the decline in grades is because of the toll the pandemic left behind.
"You see a lot of gaps that students are having, and then they go back to school and they are struggling and struggling, and they're not getting the help they need," Nuñez said.
But it's not all negative — Fifth Grade math mastery in Waco improved by two percent this spring, compared to spring of 2023.
As for reading, Waco students' mastery of the STAAR test portion improved by one to seven percent.
Waco ISD Superintendent Susan Kincannon shared some information in a statement Friday, saying that district campuses are improving overall.
"We are projecting that 14 of 18 elementary and middle school campuses have increased their overall campus scores," she said.
One of the tutors, Madison Klement, says one reason from the struggle is…
"Motivation — they come in and they either don't want to read passage because they don't feel like they can or they feel like they're going to mess up and be judged or they don't want to be here," she said.
