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
SHOWED BLACK STUDENTS AVERAGE
SCORES WERE 48 POINTS LOWER
THAN FOR WHITE 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 EXAMPLE.
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
PANDEMIC 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.