Amid pandemic, just 25% of students took statewide tests

By JOCELYN GECKER
Associated Press

California’s Department of Education says that only 25% of students took statewide assessment tests in 2020-21 as schools scrambled to administer the exams in the midst of the pandemic. The low participation rate makes it impossible to know the full extent of learning loss statewide during a year when most of California’s classrooms were closed and students were doing remote learning. What is more clear is the extent to which the pandemic and school closures exacerbated education inequalities. The new figures released Friday show that chronic absenteeism spiked and graduation rates dropped for students of color and disadvantaged students during the pandemic.