North Kent News

There was a decrease in the number of Sparta Area Schools students considered ready for math classes in college in the 2021-22 school year, according to the MI School Data. Based on their performance on the math portion of the SAT, 26.4% of the students were set for college during the school year.

In contrast, college-level math readiness in Sparta Area Schools the year before was 32.7%.

Sparta Area Schools ranked 11th lowest in college readiness for math this year, compared to other districts in Kent County. In the previous year, it was ranked 12th.

Overall, students in Michigan are still performing below pre-pandemic levels. According to the test results, their scores are on average 4.5% lower than the pre-pandemic levels.

A recent study in the state suggested this could be caused by remote schooling. Students who learned remotely experienced more learning loss compared to those who attended in-person classes during the pandemic.

"This is hurting kids in ways we can't even imagine, and not just academically," Senator Thomas Albert said during his time as the House Appropriations Chairman. "The disruption of sports and other extracurricular activities also takes a major toll. It's going to take years for some of these students to recover academically."

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was criticized for trying to address these academic failures by using more tutors in the public school system.

"Relying only on the system that caused academic and mental health setbacks is not looking out for the best interest of children," Jamie A. Hope wrote in the Michigan Capitol Confidential.

Due to the suspension of state assessments, SAT data for the 2019-20 academic year are not available.

Rank	District	Math average score overall
1	East Grand Rapids Public Schools	565.5
2	West Michigan Aviation Academy	561.8
3	Forest Hills Public Schools	553.8
4	Byron Center Public Schools	550.5
5	Rockford Public Schools	527.6
6	Lowell Area Schools	523.6
7	Caledonia Community Schools	507
8	Cedar Springs Public Schools	497.9
9	Grandville Public Schools	495.9
10	West Michigan Academy of Environmental Science	494.3
11	Byron Center Charter School	474.4
12	Northview Public Schools	474
13	Kent City Community Schools	473.2
14	Wellspring Preparatory High School	469.4
15	Kentwood Public Schools	467.2
16	Sparta Area Schools	464.9
17	PrepNet Virtual Academy	462.4
18	Tri County Area Schools	461.7
19	Grand River Preparatory High School	461.5
20	Comstock Park Public Schools	452
21	Kenowa Hills Public Schools	444.9
22	Grand Rapids Public Schools	431.9
23	Wyoming Public Schools	430.4
24	Kelloggsville Public Schools	407.8
25	Godwin Heights Public Schools	407.5
26	Godfrey-Lee Public Schools	406.1