Austin Scholar #126: Why schools are failing to improve test scores
& what you can do about it
Hey, y'all!
This week from Austin Scholar...
Austin’s Anecdote: Why schools are failing to improve test scores
What you can do about it
Scholar’s Sources: What I’ve been up to…
I got back in the rink to do some ice skating for the first time in a while, which was definitely an experience. I fell quite a few times and couldn’t find my footing on my blade. This was all frustrating, because I’m attempting to land my axel before I head off to college, and my weeks of traveling set me back.
But all this means is that I’ve got to skate more, practice more, and put in the work to get myself back to where I was. And really, the whole situation just shows the importance of consistency and daily practice.
Austin’s Anecdote: Why schools are failing to improve test scores
NWEA published an article about nationwide academic achievement and unfortunately, it’s incredibly disappointing.
The paper highlights how kids are still super behind in their academics despite the education system having three years post-COVID to get kids back on track.
Here are some depressing quotes:
“The gap between pre-COVID and COVID test score averages widened in 2023–24 in nearly all grades, by an average of 36% in reading and 18% in math.”
“At the end of 2021–22, we optimistically concluded that the worst was behind us and that recovery had begun. Unfortunately, data from the past two school years no longer support this conclusion. Growth has slowed to lag pre-pandemic rates, resulting in achievement gaps that continue to widen, and in some cases, now surpass what we had previously deemed as the low point.”
Kids are continuing to get further and further behind.
Our education system is clearly not solving this problem.
But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to catch kids up.
For example: at esports academy, a group of seven boys who were two years behind (in all subjects) decided they wanted to catch up to grade level in six months – using only online, adaptive, AI-powered apps. They spent around 3 hours every single day working in the apps and they spent the rest of the day playing video games and learning life skills. The results? Amazing:
They learned 4.6x faster than a typical student (as verified by MAP results)
They learned 2 entire grade levels in just 6 months
They are now in the top 20% of students nationally in terms of academic achievement
And the entire enrollment of 5th-8th graders at Alpha had similarly remarkable results – and they only spent 2 hours per day on academics:
In 2024, they grew 2.5x faster than typical students of the same age across all subjects
100% of students score above average on nationally accredited benchmark tests (MAP)
More than half of students in the top 10% nationally
Learned, on average, 2 grades in just one year
Getting back to pre-pandemic academic achievement – and even surpassing it – is made possible with AI and online, adaptive apps.
What you can do about it
So you might be wondering, what can I do to help my kid if they’re behind?
Schools clearly aren’t going to change and it’s been three years with little to no progress.
Well, here is a super easy three-step plan to get your kid back on track.
Sign up for an online app
My overall recommendation for an online academic app is IXL. It’s super comprehensive, demands mastery, and has a great recommendations wall where kids can make sure they’re working on the right lessons for them. Personally, I’ve used it for math 6th-8th grade as well as language and reading comprehension 9th-12th grade.
Create daily goals to form habits
Just as I need to skate every day to land my axel, if you want your kid to fill their learning gaps, they have to have daily habits. Have your kid spend thirty minutes per day on both math and reading, and make sure they complete the work before they have friends over or head out into the nice summer day. Thirty (focused) minutes per subject will definitely help your kid start to close their learning gaps and be well on their way to mastery over their grade levels.
Bribe them with rewards
But how do you get kids to actually do the work? Rewards are your best friend.
Implement a weekly reward system where your kids get to go to a movie or have a nice dinner if they complete their thirty minutes per subject every day for a week. You could also do a points system where they earn, say, 100 points for every week in which they complete their minutes, and where they can earn prizes at 500, 1000, or 2500 points (the prizes have to be super specialized to your kid – make sure they truly want what you’re offering).
With these rewards, your kid will definitely be motivated to actually complete the work and form those habits.
The best part about this process is that it will also help your kid learn to take accountability over their education. This process challenges them to take steps on their own to improve their future and achieve their goals. In using apps, in spending these extra few minutes every day on their education, they’re proving to themselves that they are capable of doing something hard – and of learning at a pace unthinkable and unattainable in traditional school.
Help your kid transform their life and get their education back on track.
Scholar’s Sources: What I’ve been up to…
I finally got around to reading another book by the author of one of my all-time favorite books, The Power of Infinity. The Joy of X is another vibrant exploration into the history and significance of mathematics, covering everything from one and basic arithmetic to infinity and calculus. I’m absolutely obsessed with the way Strogatz breaks down complex concepts and relates them to engaging stories and hypotheticals. For example, in his chapter on the number e, Strogatz explains the optimal number of people you should date in your lifetime to increase your chances of finding your perfect match – something interesting to everyone. Most of all, though, I love this book because it perfectly intertwines my two favorite subjects: math and writing. The Joy of X is evidence of the close relationship between science and art – and how to utilize one to make sense of the other.
Here are some of my favorite quotes:
“Math always involves both invention and discovery: we invent the concepts but discover their consequences.”
“The formulas… might express elegant patterns about numbers for their own sake. This is where algebra meets art. Or they might express relationships between numbers in the real world, as they do in the laws of nature for falling objects or planetary orbits or genetic frequencies in a population. This is where algebra meets science.”
“When Thomas Jefferson wrote, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident,’ he was mimicking the style of the Elements [mathematical proofs and deductions book by Euclid].”
I honestly really enjoyed this movie, primarily because of how cool all of the marketing techniques were. From the very first scene, Scarlett Johansson’s character showed us what it means to market a product – how to get people to care. The all-star cast does an incredible job making me care about each character and their role in the moon landing. I definitely think it’s worth a watch :)
Inside Out 2 was such a fun movie – and no less emotionally charged than the scene in the first movie where Riley’s imaginary friend disappears. The part of the movie that stuck with me the most is how perfectly it captured what an anxiety attack feels like. As someone who has had quite a few mental health struggles (a lot of which to do with my anxiety), I truly felt understood.
And, although some of the extreme outbursts and thoughts Riley has throughout the movie are funny, they’re also a great reminder for parents on how ridiculously hard it is to be a teenager. It doesn’t matter how illogical or crazy some thoughts may seem, it’s hard to not believe them. If you have a teenager you’re struggling to connect with, I’d actually recommend watching this movie to help put yourself pretty much directly in their mind.
Thanks for reading. Go crush the week! See y'all on Sunday.