The number of students considered proficient in English Language Arts (ELA) and math has been on a gradual decline since the implementation of the Common Core Curriculum. These are the percentage of students that are at "grade level". Michigan began using the M-Step test statewide during the 2014-2015 school year. M-Step was implemented about the same time Common Core teaching was put into practice. Since 2014-2015 Michigan student’s ELA & Math test scores for the percentage of students that are proficient have been on a gradual decline.
These two charts compare the statewide scores by grade level in 2014-2015 to the scores in 2021-2022.
If you look at the third column, you will see that in every grade, in both ELA and math, fewer students statewide are proficient. In fact, these tables show that less than 50% of students in all grades in both subjects are considered proficient.
The next two proficiency charts show GHAPS M-Step ELA & Math test scores. Unlike the Michigan student scores, GHAPS did see proficiency test scores increase at some grade levels from 2014-2015 to 2018-2019. Included are GHAPS test scores for the 2018-2019 school year for comparison of pre-pandemic test scores and post-pandemic test scores which will help in the understanding of how certain school policies impact student learning. M-Step was not administered during the 2019-2020 school year.
Compared to students across the State of Michigan, GHAPS has a much higher percentage of students working at grade level. However, when looking at the trends of student proficiency in ELA and math, GHAPS gets mixed results.
The big takeaways are only 55.6% of GHAPS students are proficient in math and 64.4% are proficient in ELA. GHAPS 3rd grade test scores have been gradually declining since 2014-2015. And there was a significant drop in proficiency from pre-pandemic to post-pandemic. 4th grade and 5th grade ELA proficiency test scores show there was growth pre-pandemic to post-pandemic while the other grades saw a loss especially the 3rd & 7th grades. All grade levels at GHAPS saw a significant loss in proficiency in Math scores pre-pandemic to post-pandemic. However, comparing 2014-2015 test scores to 2021-2022 the only grades to show loss of proficiency for that time period are 3rd & 4th grades.
Although GHAPS students far outpace the statewide average, it’s difficult to predict how these results will change in the near future. One thing is certain, however, encouragement from parents has always been a significant factor in student success. As citizens we need to remain vigilant to ensure our students receive a quality education.