Alaska鈥檚 Department of Education and Early Development released statewide assessment data on Friday that shows most students are not proficient in core subjects.

The scores are similar to overall, even though the state in January. Education Commissioner Deena Bishop said then that Alaska鈥檚 standards are still in the top third in the nation.

The Alaska System of Academic Readiness test, commonly referred to as the AK STAR assessment, evaluates student knowledge of grade-level standards in English language arts and mathematics for third through ninth graders and grade-level standards for science in fifth, eighth and 10th grades.

Student scores fall into four levels of achievement: advanced, proficient, approaching proficient, and needs support.

Across grade levels, roughly 32% of Alaska students were proficient or advanced in both English language arts and mathematics. Nearly 37% of students across grade levels tested were proficient or better in science.

Bishop appealed to Alaskans to use the results for continuous improvement in a statement released on Friday.

鈥淪tate assessments play a role in measuring how well our students meet the Alaska standards 鈥� standards shaped by Alaskan educators. By accepting the results without defense, we commit to using these data for improvement,鈥� she said in a news release. 鈥淎laska is not merely focused on the outcomes themselves, rather our goal is to build the capacity in our students鈥� foundational knowledge and ability for their future in work and life.鈥�

Pre-pandemic comparisons to measure if students鈥� scores are improving after school closures are difficult because the state changed its assessment. Scores were in the 2018-2019 academic year, however. Then, 39% of students were proficient in or advanced scorers in English language arts and nearly 36% of students were proficient or better in math.

Fifth graders performed best on the 2024 tests. More than 37% met or exceeded state proficiency standards, which was a nearly 2% increase over the previous year. Nearly half of fifth graders, more than 47%, were proficient or better in science standards.

Eighth, ninth and tenth graders had lower levels of proficiency. The state said 鈥渆fforts are underway鈥� to support students in reading and offer career and technical education options.

Officials with the state Department of Education and Early Childhood did not respond to questions about how to understand this year鈥檚 scores in the contact of previous years and pandemic recovery.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alaska Beacon maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Andrew Kitchenman for questions: info@alaskabeacon.com. Follow Alaska Beacon on and .

Almost three-fourths of and nearly two-thirds of Ohio fourth graders were not proficient in reading in 2022, according to a new study.

Seventy-one percent of Ohio eighth graders were not proficient in math 鈥� a number that has only gotten worse over time, according to the latest Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Book. Back in 2019, 62% of Ohio eighth graders were not proficient in math.

鈥淚t鈥檚 super important to reach those benchmarks because it鈥檚 what鈥檚 at least been shown to be where we want our students to be that helps set them up to be successful in later grades and later in life,鈥� said Matthew Tippit, policy associate at Children鈥檚 Defense Fund-Ohio.

Ohio fared slightly better than the rest of the country 鈥� 74% of American eighth graders were not proficient in math, according to the report.

Sixty-five percent of Ohio fourth graders were not proficient in reading in 2022, a percent point worse when compared to 2019. Nationally, 68% of fourth graders were not proficient in reading.

Ohio public schools are preparing to implement the science of reading which of research that shows how the human brain learns to read and incorporates phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

The state鈥檚 two-year budget, which was signed into law last year, included .

A little more than half (57%) of Ohioans three and four-year-olds were not in school during 2018-2022, according to the report.

Thirty percent of all students nationally (14.7 million) were chronically absent from school, which typically means missing at least 10% of school days in a year.

鈥淭he COVID-19 pandemic wrought serious academic damage as it closed schools and separated students from their physical learning environment,鈥� Annie E. Casey Foundation President and CEO Lisa Hamilton said in the report. 鈥淯nprecedented drops in fourth grade reading and eighth grade math proficiency among students in the United States between 2019 and 2022 amounted to decades of lost progress.鈥�

The stakes for catching up on the COVID-19 learning loss are high. Up to is dependent on addressing unfinished pandemic-era backsliding, according to a February report from the Hoover Institution, a public policy think tank at Stanford University.

Students who don鈥檛 go , according to a 2013 report published in the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland鈥檚 Economic Commentary.

Overall, Ohio ranked 28th in the nation based on 16 indicators and ranked 18th in the education category.

Poverty

Almost half a million Ohio children were living in poverty in 2022, according to the report. The 446,000 children living in poverty made up 18% of Ohio鈥檚 kids. 10% of Ohio children representing 264,000 kids lived in high-poverty areas in 2022.

Sixteen percent of American children totaling 11,583,000 kids were living in poverty in 2022, according to the study.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 so concerning to me just because of what we know that living in poverty can do to all other factors of life,鈥� Tippit said. 鈥淲e know that health indicators tend to be lower. We know that education outcomes are worse. We know that long term, you鈥檙e more likely to stay at that level of income as your family.鈥�

About 40% of Ohio children have experienced one or more adverse childhood experience such as family economic hardships, their parents being divorced or a parent spending time in jail, according to the report.

would create the 26-member Adverse Childhood Experiences Study Commission which would recommend legislative strategies to the General Assembly.

State Reps. Rachel B. Baker, D-Cincinnati, and Sara Carruthers, R-Hamilton, introduced the bipartisan bill which passed last month in the House.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Ohio Capital Journal maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor David Dewitt for questions: info@ohiocapitaljournal.com. Follow Ohio Capital Journal on and .

Indiana鈥檚 influential Chamber of Commerce on Monday released its third long-term economic for the state 鈥� two years ahead of schedule, and as both Indiana and the chamber itself prepare for major leadership changes.

The ambitious vision seeks to advance workforce, education, business climate, infrastructure, quality of place and health initiatives.

鈥淚ndiana Prosperity 2035 is more than just an update to a prior plan. It鈥檚 a new vision with a goal of accelerating the move of Indiana鈥檚 economy to an even greater high,鈥� chamber board chair Paul Perkins said at a virtual news conference Tuesday. He鈥檚 also president of Amatrol Inc., a technical education provider.

The organization鈥檚 previous plan was set to extend through 2025. But longtime chamber President and CEO Kevin Brinegar said board and staff members decided to 鈥減ivot鈥� in 2020, during the pandemic-induced 鈥渢remendous upheaval in our economy.鈥�

The 20-page document will guide the chamber鈥檚 advocacy work with policymakers and others, Brinegar said. That includes the state鈥檚 next governor.

Brinegar said his team would ask each declared gubernatorial candidate 鈥渇or the opportunity to go through it with them, to encourage them to embrace it and adopt as much of it as they see fit.鈥� The general election is November 2024.

The 12-year plan also comes with Brinegar himself on the way out. He鈥檚 set to retire in January 2024 after 31 years with the chamber.

Goals run the gamut

Forty policy experts, business leaders and others spent 18 months putting the latest plan together, which focuses on similar pillars as in the past: workforce, education, business climate, infrastructure, quality of place and health.

But Brinegar said the goals within each area had changed.

In workforce, for example: over the last decade, the percentage of Hoosiers with a postsecondary credential rose from 32% to 54%, according to the chamber. Now, the organization wants to aim for 70%.

鈥淚 am optimistic that (even) if we don鈥檛 quite get there, we鈥檙e going to be close and we鈥檙e going to be better served for having had this goal to work towards since 2012, and continuing on into the future,鈥� Brinegar said.

The chamber also hopes to see double the number of Hoosiers with STEM-related postsecondary credentials by 2035, and more with bachelor鈥檚 degrees. It additionally wants the state to keep more college graduates, especially international students with STEM degrees, and to get workforce participation from 63% to 70%.

Higher participation would fill the 100,000 jobs open statewide, Brinegar said.

鈥淭o do this we have to lift up the skills of the folks at the lower end of the education attainment level,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 unacceptable to have 60% of our high school dropouts not in the workforce. We鈥檝e got to get them off the sidelines and onto the playing field.鈥�

In education, the chamber said it wanted more Hoosier students proficient in math and English, higher graduation rates 鈥� not counting waivers 鈥� and publicly funded pre-kindergarten programs accessible statewide. Brinegar also highlighted a desire to consolidate small school districts.

Lawmakers have already fulfilled one goal, with recent legislation enabling automatic enrollment of qualifying students into the 21st Century Scholars program.

When it comes to business, the chamber offered congratulations on the state鈥檚 鈥渃ompetitive business and regulatory environment鈥� but said the state should focus on some investment, entrepreneurship, productivity, patent and intellectual property metrics.

鈥淚t is so important for us to be successful in this area (entrepreneurship), because we have to grow our own,鈥� said volunteer task force chair Larry Gigerich, who also leads economic development group Ginovus. 鈥淚ndiana is not likely to be a state where we鈥檙e going to get a lot of headquarters to relocate here. It鈥檚 just not something that is is necessarily a perfect fit for us.鈥�

In infrastructure, the chamber announced goals of high speed communication connectivity for all and carbon neutral targets. Lawmakers have already taken action on two other goals: a state energy strategy and a road improvement program.

But water and wastewater needs still need to be addressed.

鈥淲e鈥檝e seen the struggles that have happened in the Boone County area with the LEAP district, which was laid out 鈥� but perhaps not enough thought (was) given to where the water for these massive manufacturing and laboratory facilities was going to come from,鈥� Brinegar remarked.

The chamber highlighted quality of place initiatives to help retain and attract more residents, as well as water, air quality and affordable housing goals. Though the state has gained population overall, Indiana鈥檚 smallest communities are losing people.

And finally, on health, the chamber hoped to lower smoking and addiction levels, 鈥渃ontain鈥� health care costs and boost civic engagement.

鈥淭he cost in loves, lost futures and lost productivity is simply staggering,鈥� the report notes. 鈥溾�� Indiana鈥檚 unhealthy population is a drag on economic growth and a tremendous cost to taxpayers.

Tracking metrics

Brinegar said the chamber would release its first baseline report card this fall, and would likely continue releasing them on a biennial basis.

Indiana鈥檚 business community, philanthropic community and governmental entities are most effective when they are aligned, Gigerich said. And he advocated for all to resource the plan and 鈥渟eize this opportunity.鈥�

鈥淲e cannot afford to be complacent,鈥� he said.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com. Follow Indiana Capital Chronicle on and .