An Education Scorecard study finds a national reading recession, but some California districts, including Modesto and Compton, are improving in reading and math.

A national “reading recession” is being felt across thousands of school districts. yet pockets of improvement in California are challenging the idea that learning gains are no longer possible.. New analysis based on district test results suggests that while reading and math declined for many students after the pandemic. some districts have kept raising achievement by sticking to reforms and building tight. data-driven supports.

The findings come from the Education Scorecard, a database released Wednesday by researchers at Harvard, Stanford and Dartmouth.. It compares reading and math test performance across more than 5. 000 school districts in 38 states. using state test data and aligning those results with the National Assessment of Educational Progress. which is administered nationwide every two years.. The project’s goal. researchers said. is to make “local recovery efforts” more visible—spotlighting districts that have improved as well as those still struggling.

The Associated Press analyzed the Education Scorecard’s data for reporting, including California coverage.. According to the researchers, the nationwide reading recession began around 2013.. In many districts, the trend intensified after the pandemic, when schools faced disruptions that affected instruction and student learning.

Even so. some California districts were identified as “districts on the rise. ” with reading and math scores increasing more consistently than demographically similar districts.. Modesto City Schools and Compton Unified School District were among the standouts, according to the Education Scorecard team.

For Modesto. district leadership and researchers point to sustained changes that were put in place before the pandemic and then carried through the disruption rather than abandoned.. Vanessa Buitrago. who serves as Modesto’s superintendent. said the district has focused on building a literacy development approach that staff understand and trust. and is now working to use those same systems and routines to accelerate gains in mathematics.

Compton Unified. meanwhile. has also been described as improving steadily—its progress in reading and math is noted in the Education Scorecard. with the only reported dip being a slight decline in math between 2019 and 2022.. Superintendent Darin Brawley framed the district’s path as less of a recovery story from pandemic conditions and more of a shift toward strengthening instruction and accountability systems during that period.

The Education Scorecard’s California results show how widespread the improvement is becoming.. Researchers reported that 33% of California students attended districts where math scores exceeded 2019 levels. an increase from the prior year’s share.. For reading. the proportion of students in districts surpassing pre-pandemic levels rose from about 18% to 22%. indicating that more students are now benefiting from districts that have moved past the benchmark year.

A key part of Modesto’s approach is how often schools and leaders review student progress and translate what they see into action.. The district said principals. assistant principals and intervention specialists from each Modesto elementary school meet quarterly to review and evaluate performance data over a 90-minute to two-hour cycle.. District leaders also said schools dealing with similar challenges—such as chronic absences or higher rates of special education assessments—are paired to share strategies. aiming to turn peer learning into more consistent classroom practice.

Within those routines. Modesto holds Graduation Rate Intervention Team meetings where school teams set specific action steps and revisit them at the next quarterly check-in.. Leaders said the meetings also incorporate classroom walk-throughs and help determine what professional development teachers may need based on observed instruction.

Teachers in Modesto also participate in Professional Learning Communities each week to identify students who need additional support and collaborate on intervention strategies.. Buitrago described the work as both technical and deeply human. emphasizing that teachers often hold “sacred” what happens in the classroom and the mechanics of grading—making it challenging to balance day-to-day instruction with data-driven efforts.

On the instructional side. the district tied parts of its literacy and math evolution to the pandemic years and earlier planning.. Modesto said it revamped reading instruction during the pandemic. and had updated its approach to mathematics a couple of years before that.. The district also created a new department to support students still learning English.

Professional training is another element highlighted in the district’s explanation.. Modesto said teachers received support to complete an extensive “science of reading” program called LETRS. short for Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling. with educators being paid $5. 000 to complete the program.. The district also described optional pathways for math coaching feedback. including opportunities for teachers to observe other classrooms with coaching input or by requesting substitutes to watch peers teach.

Districtwide buy-in is presented as a deciding factor in how Modesto built and sustained its systems.. Noguchi—who previously led the district as superintendent before Buitrago—said the effort required consulting across the district. including with leaders who were hesitant about changing course.. She described listening to concerns as a way to balance internal resistance and strengthen commitment so that reforms could be implemented widely rather than inconsistently.

Despite the improvement reflected in the scorecard, Modesto’s leaders acknowledged there is still ground to cover.. The Education Scorecard data shows that Modesto’s test performance grew enough to represent additional learning time—18 weeks in math and 13 weeks in reading—yet the district’s overall results still remain below grade level.

Compton Unified’s approach also relies on frequent data checks, with strategy meetings scheduled every four to six weeks.. The district said groups of principals review student performance and discuss interventions. and that leaders monitor which students are receiving additional instructional support and whether those supports are working.

Brawley described the district’s logic as a focus on identifying learning gaps early so that intervention can begin sooner and proceed more effectively.. In Compton’s reported system, weekly quizzes ask students seven questions each in English language arts and math.. The district also uses small-group tutoring in classrooms for students who fall below its internal assessment threshold of 71% or above.

Compton Unified said it places significant emphasis on the standards and vocabulary students are expected to encounter on the CAASPP. the state’s annual assessment.. The district also includes ongoing walkthroughs of school sites throughout the year. conducted by teams made up of Brawley. directors and principals.

A distinctive part of Compton’s instructional argument is the role of academic language.. Brawley said students must be able to explain their thinking, justify responses, communicate reasoning and participate in analytical discussion.. He added that when students lack the academic language needed for that work. the challenge grows rather than stays limited to a single skill.

Still, not every concern is absent.. Some Compton teachers have raised questions about whether the district might be leaning too heavily on test preparation driven by the internal assessment calendar.. Brawley responded by saying the district’s position is that assessment should not be treated as a one-time event; instead. it should be embedded within the instructional cycle.

Researchers involved in the Education Scorecard project said the database is designed to elevate local stories that are often overlooked in national debate. including districts that do not typically receive attention even when they are making measurable progress.. Stanford professor Sean Reardon. who helped create the Education Scorecard. said the effort is intended to put a spotlight on local leaders who are making a difference.

Beyond school systems themselves, the reporting and analysis drew on data visualization and newsroom collaboration.. EdSource’s data visualization specialist Yuxuan Xie contributed to the report. along with other contributors to the broader coverage effort. including Sharon Lurye and Jocelyn Gecker of The Associated Press. Lily Altavena of Chalkbeat. and Ruth Serven Smith of AL.com.

For families and educators tracking what comes next after pandemic-era disruption. the scorecard’s “on the rise” districts may offer more than reassurance.. They also point to a practical question many schools are now facing: not only whether students can recover. but which routines—aligned instruction. frequent checks. and sustained professional development—make gains durable when the challenges return.

Education Scorecard reading recession California school districts Modesto City Schools Compton Unified NAEP-aligned test scores academic interventions