HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Even as national test scores fell during the pandemic, some Hillsborough County students outperformed their peers across the country.
That's according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the “nation’s report card."
The NAEP tested hundreds of thousands of fourth and eighth graders across the country this year for the first time since 2019, meaning it's the first nationally representative look at how the pandemic impacted students' learning.
Overall, the test scores showed some major setbacks for students. Every single region saw scores slide in at least one area, with some showing the biggest point drop since the NAEP test began in 1969.
But, even with the worrisome results across the country, Hillsborough students still managed to demonstrate their skills.
This year, Hillsborough County was one of 26 districts to participate in the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA). Among those districts, Hillsborough scored No. 1 in the nation for 4th-grade reading and literacy. Our district's 8th graders claimed the No. 3 spot in the same subject.
Hillsborough 4th graders also ranked No. 1 in math while 8th graders ranked No. 7.
According to Superintendent Addison Davis, the district's Black and Hispanic students outperformed many of their nationwide peers in both subjects even as national scores showed widening racial disparities.
"This is all because of the hard work and dedication of our teachers, the hard work of our school board, our school-based leaders, our district leaders, our support staff, our students and our parents and our advocates all being able to work in concert to create the best experience for our students," Davis said at a news conference on Monday.
He credited the district's focus on ensuring high-quality learning content as well as access to the internet and necessary technology for students throughout the pandemic.
Hillsborough's rankings in the TUDA assessment do not indicate an improvement in scores, but rather a lack of significant test score changes between 2019 and 2022.
For context, 23 of the 26 districts in the assessment saw their scores decrease in math. Nine out of 26 saw a reading score decrease.
"This is an eye-opener for us as a nation," Davis said. “This very clearly identifies that the pandemic has had an impact on our learners and learning at scale."
The goal of TUDA is to focus attention on K-12 education and academic achievement in urban districts. Districts are selected for this specific assessment based on size, percentage of Black and Hispanic students, and percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
You can watch Superintendent Davis' full news conference below.