Xavier test scores come in above average

For mathematics, student proficiency for kindergarten through sixth grade all came in above 84% — kindergarten 88%, first grade 86%, second grade 97%, third grade 94%, fourth grade 100%, fifth grade 91% and sixth grade at 84%.

For reading, proficiency scores also came in high: kindergarten 98%, first grade 86%, second grade 81%, third grade 94%, fourth grade 90%, fifth grade 98% and sixth grade 89%.

In addition, Xavier’s ISASP scores were excellent in the fall as well, with much of the student body scoring above the state average.

According to Joan Hinerichsen, communications director and recruitment coordinator, the Archdiocesan goal was to achieve at least 80% proficiency, which students in every grade from kindergarten through sixth have achieved.

Across the state and county, many school test scores experienced slumps and setbacks that many experts have attributed to the restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, including halting in-person learning. This has been referred to as the “COVID hangover.”

“Iowa was the first state in the nation to reopen its schools during the pandemic, bringing students back to the classroom for in-person learning in August 2020 — not to make headlines or for political gain, but because we believed it was the best thing to do for our children’s education, stability, and overall well-being,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a press release following the release of the 2022 NAEP math and reading assessment scores. “Now, the first pandemic-era math and reading results reported today by the National Assessment of Educational Progress prove we did the right thing.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without the dedicated school administrators, teachers and staff who showed up every day to keep their students on track. Thank you for the difference you made.”

As anticipated, student performance in both math and reading decreased across all states nationwide between 2019 and 2022, but Iowa’s scores show “no significant change” for fourth-grade math and reading, and eighth-grade reading. In fact, Iowa ranks seventh overall in fourth-grade math, fifteenth in fourth-grade reading, fifteenth in eighth-grade math and twentieth in eighth-grade reading.