'It's unacceptable': Wisconsin shows widest racial gap for state test scores in NAEP report
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The latest National Assessment of Educational Progress report was released Monday, showing recent test score data across the country.
This year's report compares math and reading scores among 4th and 8th graders to the scores published in 2019.
In the 2022 report, every state saw a decline in average test scores from 2019.
There was some good news for Wisconsin students - the decline wasn't as steep as other states.
Wisconsin 8th graders saw some decline in reading and math, while 4th graders held steady.
The state still ranks among the top 10 in the nation for test scores, above the national average, but the data also shows glaring racial disparities in education.
Wisconsin ranks as the state with the widest gap in test scores between white and Black students, second only to the Washington D.C. jurisdiction.
The gap is seen in both categories for both grade levels studied.
"This is something we've been talking about for decades now, so it's just kind of disheartening," said Angela Harris, chairwoman of the Wisconsin Black Educators Caucus.
"It's unacceptable that our racial disparities in terms are as wide as they are, because any distance is unacceptable," said Abigail Swetz, communications director for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
The Wisconsin DPI says since the pandemic, students are more often struggling with mental health, while families are struggling financially.
Socioeconomic disparities can affect school performance, and experts say Black families in Wisconsin are disproportionally affected by these issues.
"We're seeing that the students who were struggling at the bottom before are struggling even more now. That's where some of the declines were really seen," Swetz said.
The racial education gap is persistent throughout Wisconsin's history. Harris, with the Black Educators Caucus, believes the solution is systemic change.
"We have a system that was not created specifically with educating Black and brown students in mind, so it makes it very easy for those students to then become left behind and become part of this disparity," Harris said.
The DPI's budget proposal seeks to address equity in schools by increasing student wellbeing.
This would include universal free meals, mental health investments, and diversifying the teacher pipeline.
"We can make sure that there are those investments to equalize those opportunities, and make sure our students feel the sense of belonging and safety to really access them and excel at them," Swetz said.
Another focus is to invest in targeted intervention programs, specifically for reading and math.
"If we're getting someone who catches them early and often before they get to that 1st grade mark, we're going to see some changes in those scores," Harris said.
Swetz stressed that the disparity isn't an achievement gap - it's an opportunity gap.
She said it's up to families, schools, and state leaders to address challenges, and treat the new data as an opportunity, rather than a weapon.
Wisconsin's full report can be found here.