Michigan M-STEP scores show students improved, but scores still below pre-pandemic levels

The latest snapshot of how Michigan public schools are doing academically shows that while students have improved in the pandemic's wake, there is still recovery left to accomplish in the classroom.

State M-STEP assessment scores show Michigan students improved academically in 2023 from 2022 in reading and math in some grade levels — more so in math than in reading. But the percent of students statewide scoring proficient or higher in both key subjects largely hovered far below pre-pandemic levels.

The assessments were taken in the spring and are meant to give a snapshot of how Michigan students are faring academically. The scores are just one view: Schools also use other benchmark assessments throughout the years and additional methods of measuring how students are doing. Eleventh graders take the SAT in place of the M-STEP for math and reading and eighth graders take the PSAT for math and reading.

In third grade reading — one of the most crucial years for young learners to become readers — the statewide percent of proficient or higher scores slid in 2023 from 2022, from 41.6% scoring proficient or higher in 2022 to 40.9% in the 2023 test.

Michigan school Superintendent Michael Rice said in a news release that children in early grades were deeply affected by the coronavirus’ impact on schools.

“This past year’s third graders were perhaps the most adversely affected of any age cohort as they had pandemic-influenced school years during grades kindergarten through second grade, a challenge that was particularly noticeable in reading,” he said. “Kindergarten, first grade, and second grade are pivotal in early literacy efforts, which may help explain the slight decline in the third grade ELA proficiency rate.”

Here’s what you should know about the scores:

Reading scores improved for some, but not all grades

The news in reading is mixed, depending on grade level.

While third, sixth and seventh graders slid on the test, fourth, fifth and eleventh graders improved slightly. The percentage of eighth graders scoring proficient or higher stayed the same.

But all grades statewide remained below where they were in 2019, before the pandemic collided with education.

For example, in third grade reading, 45.1% of the state’s students scored proficient or higher in 2019, compared with 40.9% this year. Similarly, in eighth grade reading on the PSAT, 61.9% scored proficient or higher in 2019, compared with 59.7% this year.

While many districts are struggling to return to pre-pandemic achievement levels, it’s not the case for every school district. Some districts and charter schools did increase scores in certain grades from 2019. For example, 53.5% of Clawson Public Schools third grade students scored proficient or higher in reading this year, compared with 43.9% in 2019.

Good news in math

In math, many grades saw good news: The percent of students proficient or higher statewide increased in third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade from 2022. Eleventh grade scores decreased from 30% proficient or higher to 29.9%.

As in reading, scores remained lower than pre-pandemic levels statewide. For example, in eighth grade math in 2019, 41.4% of students scored proficient or higher. In 2023, 36.3% scored proficient or higher.

Differences in schools that remained remote longer

The Michigan Department of Education in its news release compared the percentages of students scoring proficient or higher in schools that remained remote for virtually the entire 2020-21 school year versus schools that resumed in-person classes earlier. The department’s release notes that these remote schools already tended to face systemic barriers to learning.

Proficiency percentages for schools that remained remote were lower overall pre-and post-pandemic. However, remote districts saw marked improvement in 2023 from 2022.

The data shows increases in 2023 from 2022 for remote districts in every subject and grade except for seventh grade math, where there was a small decrease.

In-person districts tended to have higher percentages of students scoring proficient or higher, but did see more proficiency rates slide in 2023 from 2022: In third, sixth and seventh grade reading, the percent scoring proficient or higher decreased. Scores in math in every grade improved.

Detroit Public Schools gained some momentum

Detroit Public Schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti has been touting improvement in periodic benchmark assessments for the past month. Now, Vitti can include improvement on state assessments, including some reading scores improving past pre-pandemic levels.

In third grade reading, 12.4% of Detroit students scored proficient or higher, compared with 11.9% in 2019 and 9% in 2022. Fourth graders jumped from 12.7% in 2019 to 14.8% this year. Fifth grade reading scores remain below pre-pandemic levels, but jumped up a bit from last year.

In math, scores remain below pre-pandemic levels in all but fourth and sixth grade, but improved since last year in third, fourth, fifth and seventh grade.

Find Michigan M-STEP results by district

Recovery is not over

With gradual improvements made in this year's scores, Rice called the past school year "the most stable" of the last four in the Education Department’s news release.

This year's budget included $150 million for tutoring, as well as funding for literacy efforts across the state and $94.4 million in dedicated literacy funding for Detroit Public Schools as a part of the state's settlement in the literacy lawsuit brought by students in 2016 who said they were deprived their right to literacy in school.

Pamela Pugh, president of the Michigan State Board of Education, wrote in a release that educators are "working hard" to surface from the pandemic.

"We need to continue to invest in our schools and educators and provide the supports needed to help our kids continue to grow academically, socially, and personally," she wrote.

Contact Lily Altavena: laltavena@freepress.com

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan M-STEP scores show improvement, but still below pre-pandemic