ILEARN results show disparities, improvements
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — New results from the Indiana Learning Evaluation Assessment Readiness Network testing have been released, and they show modest improvements.
However, education advocates say students in Black, Latino and low-income communities are still falling below the bar.
The Mind Trust, an education advocacy organization based in Indianapolis, took at look and said the ILEARN data shows nine of the 11 school districts in Marion County saw the achievement gap grow in Black and brown communities.
But, advocates with The Mind Trust say, it’s not all grim. Charter schools and Indianapolis Public Schools with larger minority populations saw achievement improvements.
The reality of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education became clear quickly for Elia James-Sanchez. “At the time two years ago, my child was actually in pre-K, my youngest, and just to watch how she struggled, trying to learn in an e-learning environment.”
As a parent who’s an education advocate, James-Sanchez keeps track of the ILEARN testing schedule and results.
“I do notice today how behind my youngest child is. I think the other two children, because they had that solid foundation in pre-K and kindergarten, they were able to kind of start to catch up,” James-Sanchez said.
The Mind Trust says she’s not along in her fears. Brandon Brown, the chief executive officer, says ILEARN proficiency in 2019 wasn’t quite where it needed to be. In the first test back after the pandemic began, across demographics, test scores took a deep plunge.
“The reality though is that we have a long way to go to get to where we really need to be for education,” Brown said.
The data also showed improvements for IPS and independent charter schools. Students in Black, Latino and low-income communities saw proficiency gains that surpassed the state average. Brown says this improvement shows the value of diverse and culturally affirming learning environments.
“There are a growing number of national studies that talk about the importance of having a racially diverse group of teachers to hold high expectations for kids of all incomes all races all backgrounds,” Brown said.
The Mind Trust will host a virtual community conversation in a couple of weeks to further go over the ILEARN results and answer parents’ questions.