Amid falling test scores, Montana students perform slightly above average

Every two years, U.S. students sit down for the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The resulting scores, dubbed “the Nation’s Report Card,” serve as a barometer for learning.

Montana fourth-grade students’ reading and math scores ticked down slightly over the last two years. Eighth graders held steady in reading and made marginal gains in math.

State Rep. Melissa Romano teaches in Helena. She says she’s glad the data show students haven’t lost much ground since 2022. But test scores nationwide are lower than pre-pandemic levels. Romano hopes legislative action this year can help move scores in a positive direction.

“We really have to stop thinking about just putting little Band-Aids on to fix holes here and there,” Romano said. “We have to really think about, ‘What’s the systematic approach to improve instruction all around?’”

Montana students are slightly outperforming their peers nationwide.

Analysts who administer the test found an achievement gap between advanced and low-performing students is widening. That could make it even more difficult for them to catch up to their peers.

Nation's Report Card

Montana Parent Teacher Association president Dean Jardee says it’s important to remember the test reflects one point in time.

“We’re expecting a lot on our kids on these tests. They’re doing a lot more, and we need to give them a lot more credit than what they’re getting,” Jardee told MTPR.

Of students in Montana’s neighboring states, only those in Wyoming performed significantly better on the national test.