Missouri’s K-12 public school students scored slightly higher in math and science but slightly lower in English Language Arts and social studies in last year’s standardized tests.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has released preliminary data from the 2021-22 school year’s end-of-course assessments. Results say about 43% of students are at or above grade-level in English, 40% in Social Studies, 39% in Math and 38% in science. These are the students who scored in the “Proficient” or “Advanced” categories and are prepared for the next grade level.

Standardized test scores out: Mixed bag of results among Missouri students

By comparison, Assistant Commissioner, Dr. Lisa Sireno, said students who score in the “Basic” range demonstrate the knowledge and ability in some of the content at their grade level but need additional supports to ensure success in the next grade. Students who score in the “Below Basic” category do not yet demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary at the current grade level and need substantial academic support to be prepared for the next grade level.

State Education Commissioner, Dr. Margie Vandeven, said data show students have improved from the previous year but scores have not yet rebounded to levels prior the pandemic.

“I don’t want to paint an abysmal impact here because Missouri actually fared pretty well when you look at the rest of the nation,” she said. “That is largely due, I believe, to those schools that were able to keep their doors open. Students who did not have access to in-person learning, it is just clear, we have some make up to do there. But I think if you really looked at the data, it’s going to tell you that those students who did not have access to in-person learning were most significantly impacted due to the virus itself. But everyone was impacted in some regard, so it is a challenge we’re going to work out of it.”

Overall, students who get free or reduced price lunch slightly improved compared to the previous year and so did English language learners.

All student ethnicity groups also slightly improved.

To view the preliminary results, click here.

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