TAES test scores soar above state averages

While society has moved on from the pandemic of 2020, schools across the country continue to see the fallout from distance learning.

Tracy Area Public Schools were in the same boat, as students were sent home, forced to do their learning from a laptop at home. And when the schools did open in hybrid fashion, some local students were moved to the VMC to learn.

The end result has been a precipitous drop in test scores.

According to a Minnesota Department of Education report, 39% of students statewide met the basic science standards for their grade level and just over half failed to meet reading standards, and 54.4% did not meet match standards.

Education Commissioner Willie Jett said all states are still recovering from the pandemic.

Tracy Area Public Schools received a mixed bag of results:

• Tracy Area Elementary School proved to be the exception to the negative effects of COVID.

The percentage of students who met standards in math at TAES rose from 60.3% in 2022 to 65% last year, and jumped from 57% in 2022 to 59.6% in reading. In science, there was a slight drop from 68.9% a year ago to 62.2% in 2023, but that is still 14% over the state average.

See more in this week’s paper!