Louisiana students still behind in math and science after COVID, 2024 LEAP scores show (2024)

After several years of steady recovery from pandemic learning loss, Louisiana students saw their progress stall on this year’s state math and science tests, according to new state data.

English scores inched up only slightly, returning to just below pre-COVID levels.

LEAP 2024 test scores are out. How did your Louisiana school or district do? Search here.

In math, 31% of students in grades 3-8 met or exceeded state expectations on the 2024 LEAP tests, the same share as the previous year, according to scores released Wednesday by the Louisiana Department of Education.

That rate is still 3 percentage points below where students were in 2019, before the pandemic shut down schools and slowed or stopped many students’ learning.

In science, 28% of grade 3-8 students met or exceeded the state’s target, known as “mastery,” on this year’s tests — the same percentage as in 2023.

"It’s always good news when there’s not a large decline," said Erin Bendily, vice president for policy and strategy at the Pelican Institute and a former Louisiana education department official. "But at the same time, it’s disappointing to not see more of an increase for our students — especially given the enormous influx of federal and state funding to support things like tutoring and academic interventions."

She noted that 42 of the state's roughly 70 school districts saw their scores drop in at least one subject this year.

The statewide picture is better in English: The share of students achieving mastery rose 1 percentage point to 43%, just a single point shy of the pre-pandemic level.

Want to see how individual schools performed?Click here for a searchable database.

In high school, students’ scores on this spring’s state tests were flat when all subjects are combined.

Eighth graders fared the worst, experiencing a decline in every subject. The troubling results are in line with new national data showing that middle schoolers are still reeling from pandemic learning setbacks and recovering more slowly than their peers.

Louisiana’s stagnant math and science scores come as a September deadline approaches for states to spend any remaining federal pandemic-recovery funds. Louisiana received about $4 billion in federal COVID aid, which helped pay for expanded tutoring, summer school and other academic support. Now, schools will try to continue catching students up without the extra funds.

State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley attributed the slight but steady reading gains to changes in policy and teaching practices. The question now is whether his administration can spur similar improvements in math.

“I’m confident we’ll begin to see the math increase once we’ve given it the attention we’ve been giving the literacy,” he said. “There’s only so much we could take on at one time.”

Stuck math scores, slight reading gains

Louisiana students have long struggled with math.

Before the pandemic, just over a third of students in grades 3-8 met state benchmarks in math — 10 percentage points below the share of proficient readers. Then COVID caused math scores to crater, following a national trend in which students fell further behind in math than reading during the pandemic. By 2021, only 27% of Louisiana students were meeting state expectations in math, a massive seven-point decline from 2019.

Students slowly climbed back before hitting a wall in 2023. This spring, for the second year in a row, just 31% of students hit the state’s math target.

State officials say several changes— some required by new laws— will jumpstart math learning. They include a new math assessment in the lower grades, individual math plans for struggling students and mandatory math training for teachers.

"The influence of those efforts will only increase," said Ronnie Morris, president of the state board of education, adding that Louisiana is on "the path to improve outcomes and close achievement gaps."

By contrast, reading has been a bright spot. Louisiana is one of just three states where reading scores have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, according to a national analysis of test scores from 2019 to 2022.

In recent years, the state enacted a number of literacy reforms, including a new assessment for beginning readers, revamped teacher training and tutoring for struggling readers.

Beginning this school year, third graders who are far behind in reading can be forced to repeat the grade.

Eighth-grade slump

Middle schoolers have struggled mightily since the pandemic shut down schools and upended lives four years ago.

Students in eighth grade slipped in every subject on this year’s LEAP tests, losing two percentage points in math and English and three in science. It was the only grade with across-the-board declines.

A new nationwide study found that most students have yet to fully recover from pandemic learning loss — but middle schoolers remain especially far behind. While the average student would need just over four extra months of schooling in math to catch up to pre-COVID levels, eight-graders need an extra nine months, according to the analysis of scores on MAP Growth, a test taken by millions of students nationally.

Brumley said his department will dig into the worrying eighth grade scores.

“Our teams are going to spend time deconstructing” the results, he said, and look for “root causes."

High school students also take LEAP tests, some of which students must pass to graduate. The share of students reaching “mastery” or above in each subject was:

• English I: 41%
• English II: 47%
• Algebra: 39%
• Geometry: 30%
• Biology: 27%
• U.S. History: 29%.

Big gaps in student achievement

Achievement gaps between student groups remain stark.

For example, while nearly half of White students in grades 3-8 met state expectations in math this year, fewer than 1 in 5 Black students did so — a nearly 30 percentage-point gap.

Similar divides also separate economically disadvantaged students and their peers. For example, nearly two-thirds of non-poor students achieved mastery or above in math, compared with just a quarter of poor students.

Brumley noted that the state’s economically disadvantaged fourth graders made big gains on a national reading test.

He said one way schools can narrow test-score gaps is by ensuring that all students have effective teachers. He pointed to a state program that allows schools to pay teachers more for taking on challenging assignments, which can help recruit teachers to high-needs districts.

But others warned about asking too much of educators, who often are overworked and underpaid.

"We need to work with our teachers and help them," said Mike Faulk, executive director of the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents. "They’re the ones in the classroom every day with our kids.”