Superintendent Arntzen Releases 2023-2024 Student Assessment Scores for Math and Reading

HELENA - Superintendent Arntzen released the 2023-2024 federally mandated end-of-the-year summative assessment scores for Montana today. The summative Math, Reading, or English Language Arts (ELA), assessments for grades 3-8 and 11 are required through the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

“While math scores are on the rise, our reading scores are still declining,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “The 10-hour end-of-the-year test does not accurately reflect student achievement. This is why I implemented the MAST program, which will offer immediate actionable feedback to help focus on the academic performance of our 3-8 grade students.”

The federal government requires 95% participation for the summative assessment. Due to the August 2023 Montana Aligned to Standards Through-Year (MAST) Field Test Flexibility waiver granted by the U.S. Department of Education, schools participating in the 2023-2024 MAST Pilot were exempt from participating in the summative assessment. Overall, statewide participation in the Smarter Balanced assessments for grades 3-8 in math and reading was approximately 54%.

Reading proficiency for grades 3-8 was:

2023-2024 – 44.2%

2022-2023 – 45%

2021-2022 – 46.1%

Math proficiency for grades 3-8 was:

2023-2024 – 38.7%

2022-2023 – 37.5%

2021-2022 – 36.5%

During the 2023-2024 school year 92% of high school juniors completed the ELA portion of the ACT and 93.6% completed the Math portion. The average score for Montana was 19.3. Traditionally the national ACT college readiness average has been 22 out of a maximum of 36.

ELA proficiency for grade 11 ACT was:

2023-2024 – 52.5%

2022-2023 – 53.4%

2021-2022 – 42.1%

Math proficiency for grade 11 ACT was:

2023-2024 – 30.7%

2022-2023 – 30.3%

2021-2022 – 25.1%

During the 2024-2025 school year, Montana is transitioning to the MAST assessment, administered in multiple, content-aligned “testlets” over the school year. Montana educators will convene in the summer of 2025 to establish proficiency levels based on this new system, with summative results expected in the fall of 2025.