Texas elementary and middle school students made gains in reading this year, prompting education leaders to point the scores as a sign that the state’s focus on literacy is paying off.

The percentage of students hitting grade-level expectations on STAAR reading tests improved in most grades and topped pre-pandemic levels.

However, challenges remain. Just under half of Texas third graders are reading at grade level, according to the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness results.

“These results are encouraging and reflect the impact of the strategic supports we’ve implemented in recent years,” Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said in a statement.

The news was less optimistic in math, a subject students struggled to grasp during the COVID-19 campus closures.

This year’s STAAR performance varied. Third and eighth graders made gains, while those in fifth and seventh grades saw dips.

Overall, state performance in math still fell below where students were in spring 2019, the last test before the pandemic hit.

“Clearly more work is needed,” Morath said of the math scores.

For years, Texas has emphasized that students must learn the “science of reading.” Many teachers are required to go through specialized “reading academies” to ensure they understand the specific techniques that must be used to build children’s literacy skills.

The Legislature recently passed a landmark $8.5 billion funding increase for public schools, which includes a mandate to bolster training programs for math teachers.

The funding package – which comes after years of stagnant state support – also includes money to improve educator training along with additional dollars for other programs aimed at improving student achievement.

Public schools across Texas are still struggling with the fallout of the pandemic, more than five years later.

When Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde reviewed academic outcomes with trustees last week, she urged them to remember how old today’s students were when the pandemic struck in 2020.

“That’s not an excuse, and we’re going to continue to work on it,” she said. “But I just want everyone to understand that we also can’t ignore some of the factors that actually affected our kids.”

Since 2020, the percentage of uncertified teachers working in Texas public schools has exploded. Chronic student absenteeism rates jumped up, too, troubling educators who stress that children can’t learn if they’re not in the classroom.

Parents can log into TexasAssessment.gov and find their child’s STAAR results. Scores for high school students were released last week.

Students don’t need to meet grade level to pass the exams. STAAR scores are broken down into four performance categories on how well they compared to grade-level expectations: masters, meets, approaches and did not meet.

Approaches or higher is considered passing. However, if the student scores only at the approaches level, it means they likely need academic intervention, such as tutoring, in order to succeed in the next grade.

This is a developing story that will be updated throughout the day.

The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.

The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, Judy and Jim Gibbs, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Ron and Phyllis Steinhart, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks, and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.