LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) — Michigan is making gains in the national rankings of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading test.
According to the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), this marks the second straight two-year testing cycle where the state has improved in the national rankings.
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Michigan rose to 32nd in the nation in fourth grade reading – up from 35th in 2017 and 41st in 2015. In eighth-grade reading, Michigan advanced to 28th in the nation – up from 30th in 2017 and 31st in 2015.
“It’s great news for our students and families that we’re making progress on literacy,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “And it’s important to note that this would not have happened if not for the hardworking educators who have dedicated their lives to our kids. We’ve made a step in the right direction, and now we must continue to prioritize funding for early literacy and teacher pay and build a more equitable school funding system. When we put our students and educators first, we can build a Michigan where everyone can get ahead.”
The improvement in NAEP 4th grade reading rank is consistent with recent increases in 3rd and 4th grade state M-STEP English language arts results, officials say.
The previous and historic low performance and lack of improvement for the district on NAEP was not the fault of our children but a system that was not properly led and locally controlled with responsible leadership.
— Nikolai Vitti (@Dr_Vitti) October 30, 2019
After only one year of being properly exposed to grade level curriculum our students demonstrated some of the highest levels of improvement in the country. We are only getting started....
— Nikolai Vitti (@Dr_Vitti) October 30, 2019