State test scores show little change in math, English proficiency
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News from the Office of Public Instruction
MONTANA – The Office of Public Instruction has released Montana’s 2018-2019 school year statewide assessment results for elementary and middle school students. The Smarter Balanced Assessment is used to show proficiency in math and English language arts (ELA) for students in grades three through eight. The most recent results showed little variation in either category.
For grades three through five, the proficiency rates are 49.8 percent in ELA and 44.7 percent in math. That is down from 50.5 percent proficiency in ELA and up from 44.4 percent proficiency in math in 2018.
For grades six through eight, the proficiency rates are 50.3 percent in ELA and 39 percent in math. That is up from 50.1 percent proficiency in ELA and 38.5 percent proficiency in math in 2018. Participation rates by grade are around 98 percent.
“The Office of Public Instruction is committed to working with schools to move the needle on student achievement,” said State Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “While one test does not represent a student’s full potential, these results do show where we can start supporting improvement. State assessments in combination with local measurements provide data for teachers to support individualized student success.”
Montana is beginning its second year of Comprehensive and Targeted Support and Improvement efforts under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. OPI is assisting schools and districts which have high percentages of underperforming students in certain categories such as American Indian, Hispanic, economically disadvantaged, and special education students. Students in these categories have historically performed below the all-student average.
OPI is committed to working with school teams to create school improvement plans, which ensure that all Montana students have the opportunity to succeed. You can learn more about these efforts on the OPI’s website. Complete state and local assessment results can be found on OPI’s GEMS data website. ACT results for high school students were released last month.
