LANSING, MI (WTVB) – Michigan’s third-grade reading scores have fallen to a 12-year low, with only 38.2% of students demonstrating proficiency in English Language Arts on the latest state standardized tests.
Data from the spring 2026 administration of the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) reveals a continuing decline from the 38.9% proficiency rate recorded the previous year.
State education officials say that these figures represent the lowest performance level since the exam was introduced in 2015, highlighting a broader downward trend where overall reading proficiency across grades 3 through 8 hovered at just 44%.
State Superintendent Glenn Maleyko says “Michigan proficiency rates are not where we want them to be,” emphasizing that the state must show steady improvement across all subject areas and grades over time.
Education advocates and school leaders attribute the lack of progress to the lingering disruptions caused by the pandemic, as well as the mixed success of past intervention strategies like literacy coaches and optional teacher training.
In response to the slump, state lawmakers recently approved new reading initiatives intended to reverse the multi-year literacy slide, though officials caution that meaningful recovery will require sustained effort.
Patrick McCann, executive director of the K-12 Alliance of Michigan said “We warned at the time that it was gonna have a negative impact on their learning process,” while urging patience as the state’s new reading reforms roll out.
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