Students at Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) have shown improvement in English language arts and math exams compared to previous years but still lag behind pre-pandemic scores, according to data released last month.
In English, 47% of RUSD students scored at or above the benchmark, while in math, 33% reached the state standard on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress. Both scores were slight improvements from the year before.
“We are encouraged by the steady rise in student achievement across Riverside Unified,” Sonia Llamas, the district’s new superintendent, said in an email to The Riverside Record. “This progress is a testament to the resilience of our students and teachers.”
RUSD’s results also aligned with the state’s overall increase in scores in both categories. The trend showcased a growing momentum shift after pandemic lows, according to the California Department of Education’s press release.
However, scores across the state and at RUSD have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. The district is still more than 3 percentage points below in English and more than 2 percentage points below in math when compared with the year before the pandemic. In the 2018-2019 school year, 51% of students met the state’s standard in English and 36% met the standard in math.
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Llamas said the pandemic led to periods of lost classroom time and impacted students’ ability to learn foundational skills in both English and math, but said the district was working to close the gap by tackling chronic absenteeism and providing additional support for students.
Laura Boling, the president of the Riverside City Teachers Association, said in an email to The Record that she agreed with Llamas’ assessment. She added that the impact of COVID-19 on students created new challenges for educators that they haven’t had to face in the past.
“Teachers are dealing with so many behavior and social issues in the classroom like never before,” Boling said. “The recovery and after effects since COVID have left many students with huge gaps in their learning.”
Test results also showed a roughly 25% gap in achievement between economically disadvantaged students and their non-economically disadvantaged peers. It is a gap that has persisted before the pandemic and has since remained consistent.
Llamas said the difference in achievement was a “long-standing national challenge,” and that the Board of Education had made high-quality instruction for all students a priority. She added that her staff had increased tutoring and expanded learning opportunities in an effort to close the gap.
“Reversing the impact of disrupted learning requires patience and persistence,” Llamas said. “We have collaboratively and carefully established a strong foundation for continued improvement.”
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