New statewide testing results show improvements in English and math scores for high schoolers, but student proficiency still lags behind most pre-pandemic benchmarks.
More than 98% of Montana students in third through eighth grade took the Smarter Balanced assessment this year, which measures students’ abilities in math and English. That’s up from about 90% during the pandemic three years ago.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen said the high participation shows resilience as schools continue to recover from pandemic learning losses.
“And, I believe that is something to be very proud of,” Arntzen told MTPR. “And, our classroom teachers stepped up and the students also participated at a greater level than Montana has ever participated before.”
More high school juniors in Montana tested at or above proficient in English than ever before, with similar improvement in math scores.
The number of elementary and middle school students proficient in math rose slightly this spring compared to 2022. But English proficiency dipped by a percentage point.
Montana Parent-Teacher Association President Dean Jardee recently retired after teaching elementary students for 27 years. He said younger learners didn’t just miss out on reading and math skills during the pandemic, but also social and behavioral skills that impact learning.
“We’re already seeing some improvement,” Jardee said in a phone interview. “But, there’s still gaps, then. It’s going to take some time for those kids, especially our younger students, to get back up where they need to be.”
Arntzen and Jardee both said the scores are a helpful data point, but add the standardized tests may not be the best way to capture learning progress for some students.
