Minnesota’s reading, math assessment scores slipping

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota students scored dramatically worse on this year’s reading and math assessment tests after the pandemic disrupted school settings.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Friday only 44% of students were proficient in math, down 11 percentage points from 2019, and 53% were proficient in reading, down 7 points from two years ago. Students didn’t take the tests last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Black and Hispanic students’ math proficiency rate fell 34% compared with 19% for white students.

About 77% of eligible students completed the tests, down from the usual 98%.

The St. Paul school district’s proficiency ratings were especially poor, with just 33% of students testing proficient in reading, down 6 percentage points from 2019, and 21% testing proficient in math, down 9 points. Only about half of eligible students in the districts took the tests, though, making it hard to draw conclusions from the data, said Stacey Gray Akyea, the district’s research director.

The Biden administration in April granted Minnesota a waiver from using the results to identify which low-performing schools get state support.