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NAEP: Michigan students are still behind in reading, math since before COVID

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NAEP: Michigan students are still behind in reading, math since before COVID


Sign up for Chalkbeat Detroit’s free newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system and Michigan education policy.

Two years ago, Michigan fourth and eighth graders recorded their worst reading scores in 30 years on a national exam known as the “nation’s report card.” In 2024, they did not improve.

The results of the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, also show Michigan fourth and eighth graders continue to fall behind national averages in math.

“We have work to do,” Michael Rice, Michigan’s state superintendent, told Chalkbeat Detroit in an email.

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Michigan students’ average scores in fourth and eighth grade reading and math did not change in statistically significant ways compared to the last time the test was administered in 2022.

“At the highest level, we’re far from fully recovered from the impact of the pandemic,” said Dan Goldhaber, a researcher who studies student achievement and member of the National Center for Education Statistics standing committee.

“It looks like recovery — where it exists — is pretty uneven,” he added.

Michigan’s scores reflect what the NAEP results show on the national level: Students are not at or near where they were before the pandemic.

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“We’re not seeing the progress we need to regain the ground students lost during the pandemic,” said Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Educational Statistics, on a phone call with reporters. “Where we are seeing signs of recovery, they’re mostly in math and largely driven by higher performing students.”

The gaps between the nation’s highest and lowest performing students continue to widen, Carr added.

Here are some of the takeaways from the results:

  • In reading, just 24% of Michigan fourth graders were proficient in 2024, which was not considered a statistically significant difference from 2022. Nationally, 30% were proficient last year.
  • In math, 37% of Michigan fourth graders were proficient last year, a result that did not change in a statistically significant way from 2022 . Nationally, 40% of their peers were proficient in 2024.
  • Thirty-one states scored higher in fourth grade reading than Michigan, which was tied, statistically, with 18 states, according to the NAEP results.
  • In fourth grade math, Michigan’s average score was bested by 16 states, was statistically the same as 29 others, and better than six states.
  • It was a similar trend for eighth graders, 24% of whom were proficient in math — below the U.S. average of 27%. In reading, 24% of Michigan students were proficient, which was below the national average.
  • Twenty-five states had higher math scores, among eighth graders, 18 were the same and eight were lower. In reading, 18 states had higher average scores, 26 were statistically the same, and seven were lower.

NAEP results are reported by the percentages of students who performed at three achievement levels — basic, proficient, and advanced. On NAEP, a proficient score does not equate to grade-level proficiency.

The biennial test includes a representative subset of students from traditional public, charter, and private schools from across the country. Nationwide, 235,000 fourth grade students took the test from 6,100 schools. There were 230,000 eighth grade students who took the test from 5,400 schools.

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Michigan’s scores have worsened since before the pandemic. They decreased in reading for both grades and in math for the eighth grade. There was no significant change in fourth grade math compared to before the pandemic.

“There are going to be a lot more kids than we would hope are going to struggle with later life schooling and labor market outcomes,” Goldhaber said, referring to national trends. “Because there is a pretty strong connection between how well kids do on tests and their later life outcomes.”

How do NAEP results compare to other assessment data?

The 2024 NAEP data mirrors other test results that found many students who entered kindergarten and first grade during the early days of the pandemic are still struggling to catch up in reading.

The Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress, known as the M-STEP, showed reading and writing proficiency among Michigan third and fourth graders was at a 10-year low in spring 2024.

Additionally, benchmark assessments given to compare scores for individual Michigan K-8 students each spring and fall showed fewer third and fourth graders were proficient in reading in 2023-24 compared to previous years.

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But students made significant progress in improving math achievement scores on the benchmark assessments since the 2020-21 school year.

One of the big differences between NAEP and other assessments is that it is lower stakes for students, said Tara Kilbride, assistant director for research at the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative. Assessments like M-STEP play a role in state accountability, and other exams can inform the direction teachers take in instruction for individual students.

NAEP can be helpful as a “pulse check” to see how Michigan students are progressing compared to the rest of the country, said Kilbride.

How is Michigan addressing its literacy woes?

Under Republican leadership, Michigan lawmakers created a law that outlined steps school districts had to take when students were significantly behind in reading on the M-STEP.

Starting with the 2019-2020 school year, schools were expected to hold some students back if they did not meet expectations. But the pandemic hit and schools held back very few students in the following year. Democrats ended the third-grade retention requirement in 2023.

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After the 2024 M-STEP results were released, Michigan lawmakers passed legislation to include the “science of reading” in early literacy curriculum.

The “science of reading” refers to a body of knowledge that emphasizes phonics along with building vocabulary and background knowledge.

Districts will have to comply with many of the provisions in the bill package by 2027-28.

“If the legislation does result in more students being screened and receiving interventions, it could result in improved early literacy outcomes,” said Kilbride.

States such as Tennessee and Mississippi that have passed similar bills made big improvements in reading scores on state proficiency assessments.

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Currently, Michigan schools do not have to follow a set reading curriculum, though the Michigan Department of Education gives guidance on using evidence-based programs.

Reading lessons may vary widely within districts and even within classrooms in the same school, according to a 2022 policy brief by EPIC. Many of the districts that responded to EPIC’s survey were using poorly rated or unrated lesson plans.

Chronic absenteeism continues to impact achievement

Carr, the commissioner of the National Center for Educational Statistics, said chronic absenteeism likely impacted NAEP scores.

“We have seen an improvement in chronic absenteeism,” she said. “It’s not where it needs to be, but it’s particularly noteworthy among the lower performing students.”

Michigan has long had high rates of chronic absenteeism, which is defined as students missing 10% or more of the school year.

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In the 2023-24 school year, 29.5% of Michigan students were chronically absent — a significantly higher percentage compared to the last pre-pandemic school year when it was 19.7% of students.

Isabel Lohman reports on early childhood, K-12, and higher education for Bridge Michigan. You can reach her at ilohman@bridgemi.com.

Hannah Dellinger covers K-12 education and state education policy for Chalkbeat Detroit. You can reach her at hdellinger@chalkbeat.org.

Mike Wilkinson is a data reporter for Bridge Michigan. You can reach him at mwilkinson@bridgemi.com.



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Michigan

Game 27: Michigan at Nebraska Recap | UM Hoops.com

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Game 27: Michigan at Nebraska Recap | UM Hoops.com


Late February is the ugliest part of the college basketball season, and Michigan and Nebraska played what has to be the ugliest college basketball game of the season on Monday night.

The Wolverines prevailed, 49-46, with a crucial quadrant one road win to stay in the Big Ten title hunt, but it was more of a battle of will than skill.

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Michigan’s .71 points per possession were its lowest in a victory in Torvik’s database. The next lowest in a victory was .83 points per trip in a 49-43 win over Illinois in 2008, the ninth win of John Beilein’s Michigan tenure.

The old Michigan head coach used to love to refer to games as gritty-not-pretty, and I’m not sure there’s a game that embodies that idea more than this one. The Wolverines tested the limits of how poorly you can play offensively and still win a Big Ten basketball game, but as closely as they flirted with the limit, they survived with another single-possession Big Ten road win.

This game was ugly—unprecedentedly ugly if we’re being honest. On the other hand, Michigan won this game without doing the one thing you must do to beat Nebraska: making threes.

The problem is that Michigan’s 3-point shooting wasn’t a fluke; it’s a prolonged issue that was only exaggerated in this matchup. Michigan isn’t shooting it well from three, and it isn’t even taking the threes it took early in the year.

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That’s a combo of many things — not just one player, as many will try to have you believe — and I’m not sure what’s going to snap the Wolverines out of it. It’s hard to deny that this team’s ability to make a run in March hinges on shots starting to fall, and this was the seventh consecutive game in which shots didn’t fall.

A tight turnaround on the road against an aggressive defensive team isn’t an ideal place to rediscover your stroke, and Michigan certainly didn’t find it tonight. The hope will be that three straight home games will be.

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Visit to Nebraska is perfect time for Michigan to shake shooting slump

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Visit to Nebraska is perfect time for Michigan to shake shooting slump


ANN ARBOR — Against Nebraska, Michigan will likely need to shoot well in order to rebound.

The Wolverines, who control their own destiny in the Big Ten men’s basketball title race, play in Lincoln on Monday night (8:01 p.m. ET, FS1) aiming to do something they haven’t had to in four weeks: bounce back from a loss.

It would be a great time to break out of their recent shooting slump.

Michigan is shooting just under 30 percent from 3 over its last nine games. Head coach Dusty May isn’t happy about the trend but wants his players to keep firing if the shots come from passes out of the paint.

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Nebraska’s zone defense allows a ton of 3-pointers. Close to half of opponent’s field goals against Nebraska have been 3s; per kenpom.com, only 16 of the 364 teams in the country have allowed a higher percentage of 3s.

Can Michigan take advantage? Nimari Burnett has been a consistent catch-and-shoot threat. Tre Donaldson is at 40 percent from deep on the season but has looked out of sync the past few games. Fellow guards Rubin Jones and Roddy Gayle Jr. have been cold from deep all year. Gayle has missed 22 of his last 23 3-point attempts and is passing up some open looks.

For the most part this season, 3-point shooting has determined how teams have fared against Nebraska. The Cornhuskers (17-10, 7-9) lost at Penn State on Wednesday 89-72 but have still won five of their last seven to join the NCAA Tournament bubble. ESPN lists them as one of the last four byes.

Brice Williams, a 6-foot-7 wing averaging 19.4 points per game, is an All-Big Ten candidate. He gets to the foul line often and converts at 90 percent. Forward Juwan Gary is at 13.3 points per game. Both players are in their fifth season and sixth year of college; they’re physically mature and have been through plenty of Big Ten battles.

Connor Essegian, a Wisconsin transfer, is averaging 10.8 points per game off the bench while shooting 40 percent from 3 on 160 attempts. Sam Hoiberg, the son of head coach Fred, has started the last eight games at point guard. He is a pass-first, second, and third-type player.

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Berke Buyuktuncel is Nebraska’s leading rebounder whose contributions, according to his coach, go beyond the stat sheet. The 6-foot-10 center who transferred from UCLA has missed the last three games with a sprained ankle; Hoiberg suggested he’d be back for Michigan, though perhaps on a minutes restriction.

Pinnacle Bank Arena is an underrated environment but not particularly unkind to visitors this season. Nebraska has already lost there to Rutgers, USC, and Maryland. The Wolverines (20-6, 12-3) are 6-2 in Big Ten road games.

Their six-game win streak ended on Friday night at home against Michigan State 75-62. “We’re a half-game out of first place in the Big Ten in mid-February,” May said after. “There’s no time to hang our heads and mope and feel sorry for ourselves. We’ve got to unify and figure out a way to get better tomorrow, take care of our bodies, and get our edge back.”

Michigan’s players who spoke after the game echoed that sentiment. Because Michigan faces Michigan State again — in what could be an epic regular-season finale — the Wolverines don’t need any assistance to win the Big Ten.

“Everything we want is still ahead of us, but gotta go game by game,” Michigan forward Danny Wolf said. “And now on to Nebraska.”

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Ranking the final five Michigan Basketball games by importance to regaining the Big Ten lead

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Ranking the final five Michigan Basketball games by importance to regaining the Big Ten lead


The weekend started off rough for Michigan Wolverines fans, as they watched Michigan State beat the Wolverines by double-digits at Crisler Center. It was the Wolverines’ first loss in a month — and their first at home all season — and it was the most costly of the season with the Spartans taking sole possession of first place in the Big Ten.

Now with five games to go, Michigan is a half-game out of the top spot. The Wolverines need a strong performance down the stretch to regain the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and/or share the Big Ten regular season title. Today, we rank each game in order of importance.

No. 5 – Michigan vs Rutgers, 2/27 @ 9 p.m.

The Scarlet Knights have had an underwhelming season after bringing in two five-star freshmen — they are below .500 and have won just four of their last 10. These two teams saw each other earlier in the month, as Rutgers was without star freshman Dylan Harper. Still, the Scarlet Knights hung around, with Michigan only winning by three. There are no excuses to this game with what is at stake and having it be at Crisler Center.

No. 4 – Michigan vs Illinois, 3/2 @ 3:45 p.m.

Illinois has been in a free fall the last few weeks, losing six of its last 10 and recently getting blown out by Wisconsin and Michigan State. Right now, the Illini are at risk of being a bubble team if they can’t turn the corner soon. It’ll be a race to 80 points, as Illinois is 1-5 this season when allowing that many points.

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No. 3 – Michigan @ Nebraska, 2/24 @ 8 p.m.

Coming off the loss to Michigan State, the Wolverines need to bounce back, and Lincoln is one of the most difficult places to play in the country. The Huskers are on the bubble, so a win over Michigan may be the difference between them making the tournament or not.

No. 2 – Michigan vs Maryland, 3/5 @ 6:30 p.m.

It feels a little disrespectful to have this game at No. 2, given they have won 10 of their last 12, but we all know what is coming at the top of this list. Maryland’s starting lineup averages more than 10 points per game, including Derik Queen and Julian Reese, who nearly average a double-double apiece. Pair them with two of the best three-point shooters in the country, Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Seton Miguel, and you have a team that still has hopes of a Big Ten crown of their own.

No. 1 – Michigan @ Michigan State, 3/9 @ noon ET

No other game will be as important as this one. Michigan State was able to come into Ann Arbor to earn the top spot this past weekend, but it won just the battle, not the war. While the Spartans have one less game remaining than Michigan, their schedule is tougher. They go to Maryland next, host Wisconsin, and then head to Iowa before finishing the season against Michigan. The Wolverines are still very much in play at earning sole possession of that top spot, and there is just something about this game that makes it feel like it could lead to that scenario.



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