Wisconsin Has Widest Black/White Gap in U.S. in Math, Reading Scores
It's not the first time. 2024 results, and achievement gap, similar to those in 2022.
School classroom. (Pixabay License).
Wisconsin continues to see the nation’s widest disparity in math and reading scores between Black and white students, according to data released this week.
Still, Wisconsin’s fourth and eighth grade students are performing better than most states in both subjects, with test scores remaining mostly unchanged from 2022.
Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics at the U.S. Department of Education, said disparities in student performance in Wisconsin make it impossible to get a clear picture of how children are doing simply by looking at the state’s average scores.
“When you look at the average scores it can mask what is going on with the sufferers,” Carr said during a media call Tuesday.
The U.S. Department of Education’s National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, is known as the “Nation’s Report Card.”
NAEP measures academic performance across the United States and provides a snapshot of student achievement in mathematics and reading across fourth and eighth grade.
NAEP is separate from Wisconsin’s statewide standardized assessment, the Forward Exam.
State Superintendent Jill Underly said Wisconsin’s NAEP results serve as an “urgent wake-up call” for the state.
“Just imagine what could be possible if we could adjust the Black/white achievement gap, if we could really invest where it is needed most,” Underly said. “There is an undeniable link between poverty and academic achievement, and these NAEP results show that once again.”
Fourth and eighth grade reading scores remain about the same
In 2024, fourth and eighth grade students in Wisconsin tested about the same as they did in 2022 for reading proficiency.
Thirty-one percent of fourth graders performed at or above the NAEP proficient levels, down from 33 percent in 2022, while 31 percent of eighth graders were at or above proficient levels compared to 32 percent in 2022.
At the same time, Black fourth grade students in Wisconsin scored 45 points lower while Black eighth graders scored 39 points lower.
Milwaukee Public Schools, where about 50 percent of students are Black, is one of the reasons for the racial discrepancy.
Only nine percent of fourth graders in MPS performed at or above NAEP’s proficient level, down from 12 percent in 2022. Fifteen percent of eighth graders in MPS were proficient.
Statewide, Hispanic fourth graders had an average score that was 25 points below their white counterparts and fourth grade students who identified as economically disadvantaged had an average score that was 30 points lower.
The same was true for eighth graders.
Hispanic eighth graders scored 20 points lower than their white counterparts and students who identified as economically disadvantaged scored 25 points lower
MPS was the only Wisconsin School District that had its test results separated from statewide data.
MPS is not outperforming any other urban school districts for fourth grade reading scores. But does outperform Cleveland and Detroit for its eighth grade scores.
Nationally, fourth- and eighth-graders are not making the level of progress needed to regain ground lost during the pandemic, Carr said.
“Where there are signs of recovery, they are mostly in math and largely driven by higher-performing students,” Carr said. “Lower-performing students are struggling, especially in reading.”
Wisconsin students doing better in math than reading
In Mathematics, Wisconsin eighth graders performed just behind the Department of Defense and Massachusetts and ahead of all other states and jurisdictions. In the same subject, Wisconsin fourth graders were consistent with the national average.
Wisconsin’s white fourth graders performed better in math than they did in reading on the national assessment with 42 percent of students scoring at or above the proficient level.
Black students had an average score that was 47 points lower than white students while Hispanic students had an average score that was 26 points lower than their white counterparts.
In math, fourth grade male students performed five points higher than females. But female students scored 10 points higher than male students in reading.
Thirty-seven percent of Wisconsin eighth graders were proficient in math. But Black eighth graders scored 50 points lower. Hispanic students scored 33 points lower.
In MPS, 12 percent of fourth graders and 8 percent of eighth graders were proficient in math.
The only other urban school district MPS is outperforming in math is Detroit.
MPS officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Underly is asking the state for a $4 billion funding increase for Wisconsin Public Schools in the 2025-27 budget. That money would increase the special education rate to 90 percent by 2027, provide free school meals to all students and increase mental health services.
Republicans in the Legislature have already said they will not support the proposal.
Wisconsin again has widest gap in US for math, reading scores between white and Black students was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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