Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary (DESE) staff presented statewide Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) results for grade levels 3 through 8 to the State Board of Education at its meeting today. More than 407,740 students participated in the state’s grade-level testing program. The results showed slightly increased scores from last year in all content areas and grade levels, but staff cautioned that one additional year of data does not establish a trend. The tests are among the measures DESE uses to gauge student progress in Missouri public schools.

“We are pleased to see the progress students made across the board in the last year,” said Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven. “Reading and numeracy skills are essential to ensuring that students are prepared for success after high school.”

Below are the percentages of Missouri students who scored proficient or advanced on the 2016 and 2017 grade-level tests in English language arts:

Below are the percentages of Missouri students who scored proficient or advanced on the 2016 and 2017 grade-level tests in mathematics:

Science proficiency in grades 5 and 8 show a longer data trend line because the assessments have not changed in recent years.

The results include the MAP Alternate (MAP-A) assessments for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who meet grade-level and eligibility criteria. MAP-A tests are given in English language arts (ELA) and math for grades 3-8 and 11 and in science for grades 5, 8 and 11. More than  6,000 Missouri students took the MAP-A assessments.

The State Board of Education adopted new learning standards in 2016, and the state plans to roll out new tests in English language arts and mathematics based on the new expectations in the spring of the 2017-18 school year. The science tests in grades 5 and 8 will be a field test in 2018, and a new science assessment will be operational by the 2018-19 school year.

Student achievement on the MAP tests is among several factors used in school districts’ annual performance reports (APRs) to determine accreditation under the Missouri School Improvement Program. The Department will release district APRs this fall.