A report of the results of elementary and middle school students’ performance on a standardized assessment of reading and mathematics showed more students began the 2021 school year below grade level.

The report, “Understanding Student Learning: Insights from Fall 2021,” reflects data gathered when students took the i-Ready Assessment over the last two years.

According to Curriculum Associates, publisher of the i-Ready Assessment, the data’s key finding is that fewer elementary and middle school students began the 2021 academic year on grade level in reading and math than in the three years prior to the decision to close down schools and subsequent attempts to block their reopening by the teachers’ unions.