New DPI Data Reveals Extent of Learning Loss After Evers Kept Schools Shuttered
[Madison, WI] – Student performance is cratering under self-proclaimed “education governor” Tony Evers. According to newly-released Department of Public Instruction data, standardized test scores are plummeting on Evers’ watch — despite the over $2 billion in state support added to K-12 education in recent years on top of the over $2.6 billion in federal COVID-19 aid sent to Wisconsin schools.
According to the report:
- English language arts proficiency is down by over 16 percent
- Math proficiency is down by over 20 percent
- Just 8 percent of Black students were deemed “proficient” in math
- Over 50 percent of all students earned just a “basic” or “below basic” designation in English or math — below the “proficient” level
- More than half of students in Milwaukee and Madison districts, where students suffered from school closures and draconian COVID-19 policies, did not take tests at all
This is only the latest update in Tony Evers’ disastrous education record after Evers failed to reopen schools, vetoed funding for a charter school that serves special needs students, and tried to cap enrollment on school choice when families needed options the most. Students in low-income communities have suffered the most from Evers’ absent leadership as Wisconsin stood as the worst state in the nation for achievement gaps between Black and white students.
“When our students needed support, Tony Evers kept schools closed,” said Republican Party of Wisconsin Communications Director Anna Kelly. “Wisconsin families need a governor who will put kids — not teachers union bosses — first.”
Read more from the MacIver Institute here.