By Lily Guiney
Staff Writer
Posted: September 5, 2024 5:04 PM

Results from statewide standardized testing in math and English language arts for Michigan's students illustrate a continued trend of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds underperforming academically, an issue officials said will have to be addressed through financial support and instructional change.

The Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress scores for the 2023-24 school year were released by the Department of Education last week, offering some insight into how students' performance has been impacted by various conditions like poverty, school district and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A considerable gap persists between students of different economic status. On both math and language arts, students who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to score in the proficient or advanced percentile groups.

On the language arts section of the M-STEP for grades 3-7, 57 percent of economically advantaged students' scores were proficient or advanced. Their peers from economically disadvantaged backgrounds saw only 27 percent of students scoring at that level. Similarly, in math, 21 percent of economically disadvantaged students were designated proficient or advanced, while 53 percent of economically advantaged students scored within those categories.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Michael Rice said there are several factors that can contribute to lower test scores, but poverty is one of the most consistently adverse ways a student's performance can be impacted.

"Poverty has consistently had a substantial, adverse effect on student academic performance," he said in a statement. "This year's scores also show that, on average, being educated remotely during the 2020-21 school year rather than in-person during the pandemic affected progress. Being in the learning-to-read window – in preschool or early elementary grades – when COVID-19 hit also affected assessment results on average. Poverty, remoteness of instruction in the 2020-21 school year, and being in the learning-to-read window at the beginning of the pandemic have been layered challenges with which some of our children continue to struggle."

Students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds did, however, increase their proficiency rates by 1.1 percentage points in math and 0.1 percentage points in language arts, compared to the previous year's scores. The small improvements are a positive sign as students continue to recover from lost instructional time during the pandemic, but officials said there's still more to be done.

"We are encouraged to see continued gradual improvement in proficiency levels measured on most M-STEP and SAT/PSAT tests, particularly on M-STEP math assessments," Rice said. "These results reflect hard work by students and educators and investments in education by the governor and legislature. That said, much work remains, both instructionally and financially, for needed supports to students."

Overall, test scores improved in grades 3-7 on the math section for the second year in a row. In English language arts, proficiency rates improved in grades 5, 7 and 8, remained the same in grade 6 and decreased in grades 3, 4 and 11. After 7th grade, students begin taking the PSAT instead of the M-STEP and then take the SAT in 11th grade. Math scores also decreased for 8th graders taking the PSAT and 11th graders taking the SAT last year.

State Board of Education President Pamela Pugh echoed Rice and said she and her colleagues on the board will continue seeking out solutions to improve academic outcomes for students across the state.

"The State Board of Education is committed to ensuring that all students in Michigan learn what they need to know," Pugh said in a statement. "We will continue to work with local schools, MDE leadership, legislators and the governor to improve student learning. It's nice to see progress on most assessments this year, but we want our students to continue their progress in the coming years as well."

Jennifer Mrozowski of EdTrust Midwest said the scores are indicative of the need to more equitably fund schools, making sure areas experiencing higher concentrations of poverty receive targeted funding for underserved students.

"The bottom line is that money matters in education, especially for students who are underserved. The Michigan Partnership for Equity and Opportunity continues to urge state leaders to fully fund the Opportunity Index, which directs additional resources to districts based on their concentration of poverty," Mrozowski said in a statement. "As it now stands, our state lacks systems to show which interventions are being used, whether they are effective at accelerating student learning, and whether dollars intended for students with the greatest needs are reaching their schools."

Mrozowski also called for the Legislature to pass SB 567 and SB 568 , which would require schools to screen early elementary students for dyslexia and provide certain interventions to improve literacy outcomes. The bills received mixed testimony before the House Education Committee earlier this summer and have not yet moved out of committee. Rice and members of the State Board of Education have spoken out as well about the necessity of passing the bills and addressing dyslexia in Michigan students.

"MDE continues to advocate for LETRS literacy training so that all elementary school teachers are informed by this deep science of literacy professional development," Rice said. "So far approximately 7,300 Michigan K-5 teachers have either completed or are taking LETRS training. MDE also is urging legislators to approve literacy/dyslexia legislation that would help children with characteristics of dyslexia learn to read."

The Great Lakes Education Project issued a Wednesday statement calling the scores an indicator of "dramatic learning loss" brought on by Governor Gretchen Whitmer's handling of the pandemic.

"Gretchen Whitmer's unscientific school closures have devastated our kids," GLEP Director Beth DeShone said in the statement. "We don't do ourselves any favors by refusing to call a spade a spade, or by allowing Whitmer, the State Board of Education, and other lockdown advocates to duck responsibility for the harm they've caused our kids. Ignoring their culpability is the surest way to make sure it happens again, and that's the last thing struggling readers can afford."

Rice acknowledged in his statement the impact of learning loss during COVID-19 on students, especially those who were early readers when school closures were happening sporadically. He said it's likely the students struggling the most with critical reading skills will require additional in-person instruction time, whether that be through a longer school year or instruction during the summer being made available.

"Our in-person instructional school year was skinny before the pandemic and, for some students, became skinnier during and after the pandemic," Rice said.