Stateside's conversation with John Yun, Thursday, August 29, 2019.
Results for the 2019 M-STEP were released Thursday.
That's the statewide test designed to gauge how well students are mastering state standards. It tests students in grades 3-8 in English Language Arts and math.
John Yun is an associate professor with Michigan State University.
He says more than half of third-graders in the state failed the M-STEP English test. He says this year's results were only slightly better than last year.
“It's a little bit concerning that given all of the focus on this, there hasn't been much movement,” Yun said.
The M-STEP assessment replaced the Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) in 2015.
Yun says he had hoped to see more progress in student proficiency since then.
“In general you expect as tests become more familiar to students, that passing rates might increase over time,” he said. “And we haven't even seen that kind of familiarity bump.”
Math scores for third-, fifth-, and six-grade students also increased from 2018, according to the Michigan Department of Education.
“We appreciate the gains made this year in our early grades,” State Superintendent Michael Rice said in a press release.
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