% PAGE.
% >> ON THE MATTER OF EDUCATION,
% THE CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR
% HAVE VERY DIFFERENT IDEAS
% ABOUT HOW TO HELP LEARNING
% OUTCOMES FOR K-12 STUDENTS IN
% WISCONSIN.
% REPUBLICAN TIM MICHELS WANTS
% TO EXPAND PRIVATE SCHOOL
% CHOICE TO ALL STUDENTS.
% DEMOCRAT TONY EVERS WANTS TO
% PUMP AN EXTRA 2 BILLION
% DOLLARS INTO EDUCATION
% FUNDING.
% RELATEDLY, WHAT'S CALLED THE
% NATION'S REPORT CARD THIS FALL%
SHOWED OVERALL WISCONSIN
% STUDENTS HELD STEADY IN MATH
% AND READING WHILE NATION-WIDE
% PANDEMIC DECLINES WERE WORSE.
% BUT THE GRIM HEADLINE FROM THE
% REPORT FOR THIS STATE:
% ONCE AGAIN, WISCONSIN LEADS
% THE NATION IN TEST SCORE GAPS
% BETWEEN WHITE AND BLACK
% STUDENTS.
% >> IN A PULL-OUT FROM THE
% REPORT CARD FOR 8TH GRADE
% MATH:
% IN 2022, BLACK STUDENTS HAD AN
% AVERAGE SCORE THAT WAS 53
% POINTS LOWER THAN FOR WHITE
% STUDENTS.
% NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT,
% IT SAID, FROM 2003.
% WHY IS THIS HAPPENING AND WHAT
% IS BEING DONE ABOUT IT?
% WE TURN TO THE STATE
% DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC
% INSTRUCTION AND ITS
% COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR,
% ABIGAIL SWETZ.
% THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
% >> EVENING, THANKS FOR HAVING
% ME.
% IN THE YOUNGER GRADES.
% >> FOURTH GRADE MATH GAPS%SH
OWED BLACK STUDENTS AVERAGE% SCORES
WERE 48 POINTS LOWER% THAN FOR WHI
TE STUDENTS.
% WITH READING SCORES 40 POINTS
% LOWER.
% HOW IS THIS HAPPENING?
% IT'S THE RIGHT QUESTION TO
% ASK.
% IT'S WHERE WE NEED TO PUT OUR
% FOCUS UNDERS RESOURCES.
% WHEN WE TALK ABOUT GAPS,
% PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THEM AS AN
% ACHIEVEMENT GAP.
% I'M GLAD WE ARE STOP USING
% THAT PHRASE.
% WHAT WE NEED TO BE LOOKING AT
% ARE WHAT ARE THE INPUTS.
% WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES
% THAT NOT ALL STUDENTS HAVE
% BEEN ABLE IT ACCESS.
% THAT'S WHY WE SHOULD BE AND WE
% ARE CALLING IT AN OPPORTUNITY
% IT GAP WHICH IS WHY WHAT WE
% CAN DO IS PRI THOSE
% OPPORTUNITIES AND PROVIDE
% THOSE RESOURCES IN WAYS THAT
% WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO IN THE
% PAST.
% I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
% WE CAN LOOK AT THE MOST IN
% THAT IS WHAT CAN WE DO IN OUR
% BUDGET TO MAKE SURE THAT THE
% STUDENTS WHO NEED RESOURCES
% THE MOST ARE THE STUDENTS WHO
% ARE GETTING THEM.
% THERE IS DISCUSSION AMONG SOME
% EXPERTS THAT THESE
% STANDARDIZED TESTS ARE BIASED%
IN FAVOR OF WHITE STUDENTS.
% WRITTEN BY WHITE PEOPLE.
% ARE THEY NOT POSSIBLY
% CAPTURING THE TRUE SKILLS AND
% POTENTIAL OF BLACK STUDENTS?
% I THINK WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT
% WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE
% CAPTAINURING THE TRUE
% POTENTIAL OF THE STUDENTS.
% YOU HAVE TO REALIZE NO ONE
% TEST CAN GO DO THAT.
% NO ONE ANYTHING CAN DO THAT.
% THE SCORES ARE AN IMPORTANT
% WINDOWS BUT ONLY ONE WINDOWS
% INTO UNDERSTANDING WHERE OUR
% STUDENTS REALLY AT IN
% WISCONSIN.
% WHERE ARE EACH STUDENT, WHERE
% IS EACH STUDENTS AT, BLACK
% STUDENTS, WHITE STUDENTS, ANY
% STUDENTS.
% WHEN WE THINK ABOUT WHAT IS A
% PROBLEM POTENTIALLY WITH A
% CERTAIN STANDARDIZED
% ASSESSMENT, IT'S WHY IT'S
% HELPFUL THAT TEACHERS ARE
% EVERY DAY COLLECTING DATA IN
% THE CLASSROOMS.
% COMPREHENSION CHECKS AND
% COMMUNITY BUILDING AND
% DISCUSSIONS.
% WHEN YOU PUT IT ALL TOGETHER,
% YOU GAIN A BETTER
% UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE IS THE
% STUDENTS AT AND HOW CAN WE
% GROW THEM FURTHER.
% IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WE ARE
% SO THANKFUL WE ARE ABLE TO
% STAY IN CONTACT WITH THE FIELD
% AND IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WE
% PAY ATTENTION A LOT TO THOSE
% OTHER DATA POINTS AS WELL.
% THE PANDEMIC MAY HAVE MADE IT
% WORSE, BUT THIS IS A
% DECADES-LONG GAP WHERE THE
% NEEDLE HAS NOT MOVED.
% WHAT MUST BE DONE?
% WHAT ABOUT THAT?
% IT'S INCREDIBLY UNFORTUNATE.
% IT WAS UNACCEPTABLE BEFORE.
% IT'S UNACCEPTABLE NOW.
% IT'S WHY WE NEED FOCUSED
% INVESTMENT TO TRY TO MOVE THE
% NEEDLE.%I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXA
MPLE.
% ONE OF THE PLACES WE ARE
% SEEING THE MOST STRUGGLE, IN
% ADDITION TO THIS GAP WE'RE
% TALKING ABOUT IS THAT STUDENTS
% WHO ARE STRUGGLING BEFORE ARE
% STRUGGLING EVEN MORE NOW.
% STILL LOWER SCORES, WE SAW THE
% STEEPEST DECLINE.
% IT'S ONE OF THE MANY REASONS
% WE ARE TRYING TO REALLY
% INCREASE OUR REIMBURSEMENT
% RATE FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION
% FUNDING BUS WE THINK NOT ALL
% STUDENTS IN THAT CATEGORY ARE
% SPECIAL ED STUDENTS.
% BUT IT'S A WAY TO MOVE THAT
% NEEDLE AND MAKE SURE THAT THE
% FUNDS DESIGNED TO GET TO WHERE
% THEY NEED TO GET REALLY,
% REALLY DO IMPACT WHERE WE NEED
% THEM TO IMPACT.
% CLEARLY GENERATIONS OF BLACK
% STUDENTS IN WISCONSIN ARE
% BEING LEFT BEHIND.
% WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR ALL OF%
WISCONSIN?
% IT'S THE RIGHT QUESTION AGAIN.
% WE HAVE TO REMEMBER OUR
% SCHOOLS AND OUR COMMUNITIES
% AND OUR STUDENTS ARE SO
% INTERCONNECTED.
% WE SAY ALL THE TIME THE
% STUDENTS ARE OUR FUTURE.
% THE CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE.
% THAT'S TRUE WHETHER WE PREPARE
% THEM WELL OR NOT.
% SO WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO
% PREPARE THEM WELL.
% AND IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WE
% ARE LOOKING AT WHEN WE SAY
% OPPORTUNITY GAP, WE NEED TO
% LOOK AT WHERE IS THE
% REPRESENTATION GAD?
% WE NEED TO DIVERSIFY OUR
% PIPELINE TO MAKE SURE OUR
% STUDENTS ARE REFLECTED IN THE
% LEADERS IN THEIR CLASSROOM AND
% THE CURRICULUM AHEAD OF THEM.
% THERE IS ONLY A MINUTE LEFT.
% AS TO OVERALL SCORES, THEY MAY
% NOT HAVE SLIPPED OVER THE%PA
NDEMIC LIKE OTHER STATES,
% BUT ACROSS GRADES ONLY ABOUT
% THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS
% TESTING PROFICIENT IS WELL
% BELOW.
% WHERE SHOULD WISCONSIN BE?
% WE SHOULD BE NOT SATISFIED
% WHERE WE ARE.
% WE ARE ON A JOURNEY.
% IN TERMS OF RECOVERY JOURNEY,
% BUT EVEN IF WE WERE FURTHER
% THAN WE ARE TODAY, WE WOULD
% WANT TO KEEP GROWING.
% I THINK YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER
% THIS KIND OF JOURNEY IS NOT
% LINEAR.
% IT REQUIRES A WHOLE LOT OF
% WORK AND THAT'S THE KIND OF
% WORKER WITH COMMITTED TO DOING
% HERE AT THE DEPARTMENT OF
% PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.
% ABIGAIL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.