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Georgetown researcher tells task force to focus on 4th-grade reading and 8th-grade math as core indicators
Summary
Marguerite Rosa of Georgetown's Edgenomics Lab urged Kansas lawmakers to prioritize NAEP 4th-grade reading and 8th-grade math and to pair spending reviews with instructional-quality strategies; she highlighted district scatterplots that show some districts "beat the odds" at modest spending levels.
Marguerite Rosa, director of the Edgenomics Lab at Georgetown University, told the committee that two measures — 4th-grade NAEP reading and 8th-grade math — give the best early warning of long-term student outcomes. Showing scatterplots of districts with similar poverty levels, Rosa emphasized that some districts obtain much higher outcomes for their spending and urged state leaders to "learn from our ROI superstars."
Rosa noted trends that are not unique to Kansas: NAEP and many state assessments fell during the pandemic and, in some states, began declining before COVID. "The next time NAEP scores will come out is January," she said, noting NAEP's role as a cross-state benchmark. She argued states should pair spending with concerted instructional changes (for example, stronger math instruction, targeted coaching and keeping high-quality teachers in classrooms) to move outcomes.
Lawmakers pressed on implications for Kansas funding and special education spending. Rosa warned that enrollment declines and rising pension or retirement contributions can make per-pupil budget lines volatile and said states should use district-by-district data to identify where increased resources are producing returns and where reallocation is needed.
