Michigan’s results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests are mixed. Fourth grade reading improved from 2003 to 2007, and remained just barely above the national average. Eighth grade reading scores declined over the same period, dropping below the national average in 2007. Math scores improved for both fourth and eighth graders between 2003 and 2007, but did not keep pace with improved scores nationally.
2009 NAEP results for math and science were released in spring 2010. Michigan ranks 39th in fourth grade math scores, and average scores remain below the national average. Eighth grade math scores showed continued improvement, but still fall below the national average (rank 37th in country). The fourth grade average reading score in Michigan declined between 2007 and 2009, and are lower now than the average score back in 2003. Eighth grade reading scores were declining from 2003 to 2007, but showed a slight uptick in 2009. Michigan’s scores are below the national average on all four of the above measures.
The percentage of Michigan school districts making “Adequate Yearly Progress” (AYP) increased slightly from 2007-08 to 2008-09, from 96.2 percent to 97.8 percent. This represents a decline from 2006-07 (98.5 percent). In terms of individual school buildings, 3,143 schools (or 86 percent) are classified as making AYP. High schools and alternative schools have the lowest percentages of schools making AYP for the last three years running. In 2008-09, 381 high schools (70.9 percent) made AYP, up from 241 (47 percent) the year before.
