Student achievement stagnates, latest test scores show

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Minnesota students’ math and reading scores remained disappointingly low in the 2023-2024 school year, according to data released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Education.

Fewer than half of tested students met state proficiency standards in reading and math, unchanged from the prior year. The data show that Minnesota students have not yet recovered from the learning losses inflicted by the profound disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There was also little change in test scores by race or other demographic factors in 2024.

“We need all students to succeed and thrive in school,” said state Department of Education Commissioner Willie Jett in a statement. “Statewide assessment and accountability data are an important part of a broader set of measures that tell our schools and families how students are doing and guide MDE in planning how to best support our school communities.”

The data are derived from the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) tests . All students in grades three through eight take the exams, with an additional reading test administered in grade 10 and a math test in grade 11.

Students are categorized into four categories based on whether they do not meet, partially meet, meet, or exceed state knowledge standards for their grade. Students are considered proficient if they meet or exceed the standards.

Education experts have noted that Minnesota student achievement has been sliding for the better part of a decade , even prior to the pandemic. Many say the problem is driven largely by staggering racial inequities, among the worst in the nation, and compounded by a longstanding sense of complacency.

In recent years DFL legislators, with the backing of Gov. Tim Walz, have approved massive new investments in the state education system in hopes of reversing some of the declines. But many of those changes are just beginning to be implemented.

“Long-term key investments from the 2023 legislative session are currently being implemented, including the largest funding increase for K-12 education in state history,” the Department of Education noted in a press release. “Once fully implemented, these investments will positively impact students for many years to come.”

One bright spot in the data: attendance rates were up sharply. About three-quarters of students attended school regularly in 2023, up roughly 5 percentage points from the prior year. But the numbers remain significantly lower than in the years prior to the pandemic, when about 85% of students attended regularly.

“We are proud of the work our educators have done to strengthen relationships to boost attendance and make sure students feel welcomed and supported,” Jett said. “These efforts are making a difference, and we look forward to seeing the consistent attendance rates continue to rise.”