Michigan students were less proficient in reading and more proficient in math and social studies in the latest round of statewide standardized tests.
M-STEP results were released Tuesday by the state Department of Education.
They show that English language arts scores worsened in four of the five grades in which students were tested last spring. Math scores improved in four of the five grades from the year before.
State Superintendent Brian Whiston says the math and science results are "exciting" while the reading scores are "disappointing." He says Michigan's initiative to target early literacy should lead to better reading results as it is fully implemented.
Whiston is currently working to establish a new state testing system — one that takes less time and benchmarks progress throughout the academic year.
