MARSHALL — Minnesota students made gains in math scores on state tests this year, while slipping in reading and science, according to new data from the Minnesota Department of Education.

On a local level, Marshall Public Schools students followed the same pattern. But state data also showed some positive signs, said MPS Superintendent Jeremy Williams.

“I do feel that as a district, we are making great progress overall,” Williams said.

In one example, he said the data showed MPS had above-average reading scores for student demographics like English language learners, and students eligible for free and reduced-price lunches.

Those two groups represent a large number of Marshall students, Williams said.

On Thursday, the MDE released its statewide assessment and accountability results for 2023. The release included the results of 2023 state tests like the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) and ACCESS, an assessment of English comprehension and communication for English language learners.

A release from the MDE said the statewide assessment results were “mixed,” with a 1% increase in overall math scores since 2022, but a 1% decrease in reading scores and a 2% decrease in science scores. Statewide, 49.9% of Minnesota students met or exceeded grade level standards in reading, 45.5% met or exceeded grade level in math, and 39.2% met or exceeded grade level in science.

Scores in all three subjects were about 10 percentage points below pre-pandemic levels, the MDE said.

“These statewide assessment results reinforce what we and other states around the country already know — our students, families, school communities, and educators are continuing to recover from the pandemic and need our support,” Minnesota Education Commissioner Willie Jett said in a news release. “This data is important as one part of a broader set of measures that tell us how our students and families are doing and what we need to do in partnership with our school communities to provide support for students to not only recover, but also excel.”

The new data showed that test scores at MPS followed the same trends as statewide, with an increase in math proficiency and a decrease in reading and science proficiency.

According to the MDE data, 49.5% of Marshall students met or exceeded grade level in math, compared to 47.5% in 2022. In reading, students were at 45.7% proficiency, compared to 47.3% in 2022. In science, students were at 35.3% proficiency compared to 46.5% in 2022.

“While the MCA data is one perspective of our overall performance, we use multiple data points when evaluating our Teaching and Learning processes to determine not only individual student needs, but also where our curriculum is strong and where we can tweak some things,” Williams said.

MPS also uses another type of assessment, the NWEA, to measure how students’ skills improve over the course of the school year.

“Our annual proficiency goals demand an increase in overall proficiency each year, and we saw more students proficient in both reading and math at the end of the year when compared to the start of the year,” Williams said. “Our students also demonstrated growth that exceeded our goals by 5%-15% last year.”

Thursday’s state data update also included information on academic progress and English language learners. At MPS, 23.3% of students improved their achievement in math, and 43.6% maintained their level of achievement in 2023. In reading, 19.1% of students improved in 2023, and 35.8% maintained their level of achievement.

In 2023, 40.8% of English learners at MPS were meeting their targets, compared to 28.9% of English learners statewide.

Other school districts in Lyon County showed a mix of assessment results. Many differed in some ways from the statewide trend of having increases in math proficiency and decreases in reading and science.

In the Lakeview School District, students’ math proficiency decreased in 2023 assessments, in addition to decreases in reading and science proficiency. Students had 51.1% proficiency in math, compared to 52.8% in 2022.

In Minneota, students’ science scores went up, with 56.4% of students proficient in science compared to 51.7% in 2022.

In the Lynd Public School District, proficiency levels went up across the board compared to 2022. In 2023, students had a 29.1% proficiency rate in math, a 38.8% proficiency rate in reading, and a 30% proficiency rate in science.

In the Russell-Tyler-Ruthton District, students’ proficiency went up in reading. Reading proficiency was 38.8%, compared to 35.2% in 2022.

In the Tracy Area School District, students’ proficiency rates went up in math, but down in reading and science. Math proficiency rates were at 52.3% of students, compared to 49.7% in 2022.

On Thursday, Jett said Minnesota would not “shy away” from the 2023 accountability results. He said the MDE was committed to providing support to schools through measures like implementing the READ (Reading to Ensure Academic Development) Act and other new state legislation. The READ Act includes things like new training for teachers, and an emphasis on phonics in teaching students to read.

“I do feel the READ Act will provide additional structures and supports that align very well with work we’re doing and will help us expand to additional grade levels in the coming years,” Williams said.