Michigan third grade reading scores fall to 12-year low even as literacy reforms take hold

Michigan third grade reading scores fall to 12-year low even as literacy reforms take hold

LANSING — Michigan third grade reading scores continued to slide on the state's most recent standardized tests, even as schools begin implementing a decade of reading reforms. The results, released Friday by the Michigan Department of Education from the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress, or M-STEP, show just 38.2% of third grade students are proficient in English Language Arts, down from 38.9% the previous year.

The figure marks the lowest third grade reading proficiency in the 12-year history of the exam. Students took the tests in the spring of 2026.

The release is the first from the M-STEP since State Superintendent Glenn Maleyko took over the Michigan Department of Education last December.

Reading scores decline across multiple grades

Fourth through seventh grade reading scores also fell from the previous year. A Chalkbeat analysis of M-STEP and PSAT 8/9 tests found that just 44% of students in grades 3 through 8 are proficient in reading.

Math proficiency tells a mixed story. Only 35.5% of students in grades 3 through 8 are proficient in math statewide. Math proficiency rose in third and sixth grades compared with last year, fell in fifth grade, and held flat in fourth and seventh. Fifth grade science and social studies proficiency also declined.

Eighth grade social studies proficiency improved while science results dropped. In 11th grade, science and social studies proficiency rose, but reading and math performance fell.

Most proficiency rates moved less than a single percentage point. The department noted in a news release that all but four of 20 tests stayed within 2 percentage points of 2025 results, with most within a single point.

Officials, advocates weigh in

"We need to improve the results of all these assessments for our students moving forward," Maleyko said. "Michigan proficiency rates are not where we want them to be. We must increase proficiency rates in all subjects and areas, and in all grades. And we must do this over time, showing steady improvement in all areas."

Brian L. Love, state director of EdTrust-Midwest, praised the state's recent funding boost for at-risk students and literacy reforms but called the results "extremely troubling."

"Funding alone is not enough," Love said. "The state should put in place fiscal accountability and transparency systems so that the dollars reach the students in their schools."

Venessa Keesler, president and CEO of Launch Michigan, said the state has taken the right steps, including legislation requiring literacy training for K-5 educators.

"It is too bad the results aren't better, but the results are just a symptom of a system that hasn't been set up for success. But we're making the right moves toward them," Keesler said.

Socioeconomic gaps persist

The data shows a persistent gap tied to household income. The third grade reading proficiency rate for non-economically disadvantaged students is more than double that of economically disadvantaged students.

The gap is wider still in third grade math. Just 28.8% of economically disadvantaged students are proficient compared with 60.5% of students who are not economically disadvantaged.

District results vary

Detroit Public Schools Community District, the state's largest district, recorded gains in both reading and math. In third grade, 14.1% of students were proficient in reading, up from 12.9%, and 20.1% were proficient in math, up from 15.7%.

Grand Rapids saw a slight gain in third grade reading, from 19.6% to 20.1% proficiency, and a jump in math from 19.6% to 23.5%. Lansing recorded gains in reading for third through sixth grades, with declines in seventh and eighth.

The biggest statewide gains in grades 3 through 8 came among eighth graders taking the PSAT. English Language Arts proficiency rose from 39.8% to 46.8%, and math proficiency jumped from 10.1% to 19.5%.

Ypsilanti Community Schools results mirrored the state trend, with small declines in most areas. Superintendent Alena Zachery-Ross said the district's own in-year assessments tell a more encouraging story.

"We're seeing that 80% of our scholars are growing, and that's what's really important because many of our scholars come to us behind," Zachery-Ross said.

Assistant Superintendent Carlos Lopez pointed to attendance as a key factor. Nearly half of the district's students are considered chronically absent, meaning they have missed 18 or more days in a 180-day school year.

"Students who have great attendance that are not chronic perform significantly better," Lopez said. "Attendance matters."

Political fallout

These are the last state test scores released before term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer leaves office. She has called literacy her top priority in her final year.

Voters will choose between Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Republican U.S. Rep. John James for governor next year. Both candidates blamed the opposing party in response to the scores.

"These test scores are not just numbers, they represent real Michigan children who are being left behind by a system that has failed them for far too long," James said in a statement. "Jocelyn Benson and Lansing Democrats have failed our students, failed our teachers and failed Michigan families at every turn. This is the civil rights issue of our time."

Benson responded: "These scores are deeply troubling, and Michigan families deserve better. We are here after decades of Republicans defunding Michigan schools at a higher rate than any other state instead of doing what's necessary to help every student succeed."

Literacy laws not yet fully in effect

Maleyko emphasized that laws aimed at improving literacy are not yet fully in effect. He said the Legislature, governor, State Board of Education, and educators need to work together to improve outcomes.

Under state law, school districts must use evidence-based reading instruction and screen students for dyslexia characteristics by the 2027-2028 school year. A law signed this summer requires elementary teachers to complete science of reading training by the 2031-2032 school year. Some districts will receive state support to train teachers.

The state has funding for literacy coaches, vetted curriculum, and teacher training. If a district uses a literacy curriculum not on a state-vetted list and fails to notify parents, the district loses its state funding.

MDE also announced it will release the Michigan Mathematics Framework this fall, describing a shared vision for math learning, evidence-based curriculum and assessment, and coordinated systems. The department is also forming a committee focused on science, technology, engineering, and math.

What is being tested

Third through seventh graders in public schools take English Language Arts and math tests. Fifth graders also take science and social studies. Eighth graders take the PSAT 8/9 for English Language Arts and math and the M-STEP for science and social studies. Tenth graders take the PSAT 10, and 11th graders take the SAT, WIN Readiness Assessment, and science and social studies M-STEP. Some students with disabilities take the MI-Access tests.

MDE officials caution that test scores are one measure of student achievement. Deputy Superintendent Delsa Chapman said a non-proficient rating on a single test does not mean a student cannot read or do mathematics.

"if a student is not proficient or partially proficient, that does not mean that the student cannot read," Chapman said. "On that one test in time, their demonstration of mastering the standards is determined through a proficiency rating. But that absolutely does not state or say that the student cannot read or cannot do mathematics."