I’m not going to say exactly how long it’s been since I was in elementary school, other than to note we had an abacus in our classroom and learned to add and subtract using images of bundles of dynamite (or, at least, that’s what they looked like to me).

I fared pretty well in math back then, with one exception.

When the teacher would stand in the front of the room and quiz us on math problems, I lost my way. In particular, any calculation that dealt with 32nds threw me into a complete state of confusion and panic.

For example, when the teacher asked, “How many 8ths are in 4/32nds?,” I interpreted  it as “How many 8ths are in 30 seconds?”  Until then I had been pretty good with fractions, but once fractions began to co-mingle numbers with periods of time, I was completely flummoxed and began to distrust math.

It didn’t help when, in seventh grade, numbers were mixed up with letters of the alphabet in something called algebra. 2y – 8 = 4y?  Who can possibly say? My attitude was that letters should stay in reading and spelling where they belonged. The whole business looked like Egyptian hieroglyphics as far as I was concerned.

Fortunately, my teachers generally noted my confused state and helped me sort it all out. Their quick attention to my struggles was vital. When a student is left in a confused state, everything begins to unravel. They lose confidence and begin to doubt even what they do know. So intervention in real time can make a big difference. At least, that’s the way it worked out for me.

This week, The Mississippi Department of Education officially released test scores for the 2021-22 Mississippi Academic Assessment Program testing. The scores include test results from English-language arts and math scores for grades 3-8. There are also high school and middle school level course scores for Algebra I, English II, US history and biology.

In the Golden Triangle, test scores were higher than last year almost across the board and sometimes dramatically. This was particularly true in math, where passing percentages increased by double digits, even as high as 30-percent improvements.

Reflecting on my own experiences from long years ago, I am not pleased but hardly surprised.

The improvement shown over a year’s time is a reflection of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2019-2020 school year was abruptly a month early because of the pandemic and the 2020-2021 school year provided limited in-class instruction with virtual-only and hybrid classes that limited the amount of time teachers could spend face-to-face with students.

We’ve learned a lot from the pandemic over the past two years. One of the things we have learned is that there simply is no substitute for butts in the seats. Teachers and students alike rely on this dynamic, allowing for quick intercession that is difficult to achieve in a virtual learning environment.

What should not be ignored as we consider these scores is the hard work of teachers, administrators, staff, students and parents. The pandemic was incredibly destructive to the learning process, but thanks to the diligence, resilience and determination shown particularly by our teachers, test scores are approaching pre-COVID levels much faster than anticipated.

It’s been a while since we’re heard this kind of across-the-Triangle good news in education.

These achievements should be celebrated. They suggest our schools are emerging from probably the most difficult challenges they have ever faced.

Oh, and if you are curious about the answer to that Algebra question, 2y – 8 = 4y, I’ve done the calculations for you already. Y = 30 seconds.

Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].

Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].

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