Science Proficiency Scores Down Nearly 12 Percent In MN

MINNESOTA — Minnesota's students are far less proficient in science than when compared to the pre-pandemic test scores of 2019, new data from the Minnesota Department of Education shows.

In 2019, 50.7 percent of the students who took the relevant standardized tests showed they were meeting or exceeding in grade-level science. But that number fell dramatically in the first recorded year following pandemic-related shutdowns, and it has continued to drop.

In 2023, just 39.2 percent of test-takers could meet grade-level standards in science.

The troubling test results come from the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments and Minnesota Test of Academic Skills.

"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 Department of Education Commissioner Willie Jett said in a statement on Thursday.

"We will not shy away from what the data are telling us. These results send a renewed sense of urgency and underscore the importance of key supports that are already underway."

Data on reading, math, and school attendance also looks bleak.

Reading

Minnesota's students take statewide reading assessments in grades 3-8 and 10.

Of the students who took the reading MCA and MTAS, only 49.9 percent met or exceeded grade-level standards. That result is down 1.2 percentage points from 2022.

Math

Minnesota's students take statewide math assessments in grades 3-8 and 11.

In 2023, 45.5 percent of students in grades 3-8 and 11 who took the MCA or MTAS met or exceeded grade-level standards. That number is up 0.7 percentage points from 2022.

School attendance

Regular school attendance also continues to lag well behind pre-pandemic rates in Minnesota.

The Department of Education tracks "consistent attendance," defined as the number of students who are attending school at least 90 percent of the time.

Only 69.8 percent of students attended school at least 90 percent of the time during the 2021-2022 school year. Before the pandemic, Minnesota’s consistent attendance rate was about 85 percent, officials said, indicating a 15 percent drop.

Find more information at the Department of Education's online data center.