How are Delaware schools recovering, six years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic?
According to the new National Education Scorecard report, Delaware is 4th out of 38 states in math improvement and 14th out of 35 states in reading recovery, between 2022 and 2025. However, according to the Delaware Department of Education, student achievement levels are still below prepandemic levels of 2019.
Chronic Absenteeism declined during the three-year period.
Brandywine and Appoquinimink were identified as districts that are outperforming peers in both math and reading recovery.
The Education Scorecard is a collaboration involving the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, Stanford University's Educational Opportunity Project, and faculty at Dartmouth College. It "combines state test results for about 35-million students in grades 3-8 with national assessment data to examine academic recovery across states and districts," according to DOE.
“This report shows real movement, but Delaware still has substantial work ahead,” Delaware Secretary of Education Cindy Marten said. “This is good news with a clear warning label. Delaware students are still working to recover from the academic disruption of the pandemic, especially in reading. That is exactly why Delaware has a strategic plan, why we are focused on early literacy, and why implementation, accountability, and support for districts must remain our priority.”
“Recovery is real, but it is not automatic,” Marten added. “The next phase is about disciplined execution. Delaware has the plan. Delaware has the levers. Now we have to continue doing the hard work of implementation so progress reaches every classroom.”
