In Texas and nationally, students are beginning to rebound academically, according to Renaissance Learning’s recently released winter report, How Kids are Performing. Though Texas students started the school year with about 2% fewer students meeting the grade-level benchmarks for reading and 6% fewer in math than the prior year, by midyear, the 2% caught up in reading and 5% of students caught up in math. Students’ achievement on Renaissance STAR reading and math this winter was compared with results from fall 2020 and fall 2019, including only those students who had taken STAR tests in all three periods. Based on that sample, about 50% of Texas students are at or above the grade level benchmark in reading this winter, an increase of 2% over last fall, compared to 56% nationally, a 4% increase. For math, the Renaissance study showed 68% of Texas students meeting grade level benchmarks in winter compared to 66% nationally, which was a 5% increase compared to fall 2020 in both Texas and the nation. Nationally, the study showed that students’ average progress was similar to expected progress in a typical school year. However, there was disproportionate impact on certain subgroups including underrepresented minorities, English language learners, and students attending high poverty schools. Rural schools, on the other hand, showed the greatest gains between fall and winter. “We were pleased to see many students making typical school-year progress despite shifting instructional approaches this year,” said Dr. Katie McClarty, vice president of research and design at Renaissance. “That finding and the ability of rural schools to make up ground from the fall to the winter suggests that schools and students can catch up, even if there’s still a lot of work ahead.” Read more about this study and the methodology behind it here.