Detroit Evening Report: National test scores show Michigan students struggled in reading and math

Results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress show declines for students in Detroit, throughout Michigan and across the country.

Michigan’s fourth and eighth graders who were tested in math and reading last school year performed worse than students in the same grades in 2019. Detroit’s math scores were lower than they have been since 2009.

Michigan rose in the rankings among states, but most states saw similar declines. The state did score higher than the national average for English Language Learners and for Latinx and Asian students.

The Superintendent of Michigan schools, Dr. Michael Rice, is calling on the state legislature to fund tutoring programs, smaller class sizes and more literacy teachers. He is also asking state lawmakers to pass bills that would allow educators certified in other states to teach in Michigan and let schools use some support staff as substitute teachers.

“Statistically, we are not alone nationally,” Rice said in a statement. “Most states were adversely affected in, and by, the pandemic. That said, instructionally, we have a great deal of work to do.”

Other headlines for October 24, 2022:

• Detroit’s city council president requests answers from Detroit police about possible towing vendor
• Gretchen Whitmer, Tudor Dixon prepare for Tuesday’s gubernatorial debate
• City of Detroit expects roughly 40 percent voter turnout in November