HELENA — The Montana Office of Public Instruction announced on Friday the results of the 2018-2019 statewide "Smarter Balanced Assessment" test.
The data showed mixed results, and relatively small changes, compared to the 2017-2018 school year.
According to a news release from OPI, for grades three through five, the proficiency rates are 49.8 percent in English-Lanuage Arts, and 44.7 percent in math. That is down from 50.5 percent proficiency in ELA and up from 44.4 percent proficiency in math in 2018.
For grades six through eight, the proficiency rates are 50.3 percent in ELA and 39.0 percent in math. That is up from 50.1 percent proficiency in ELA and 38.5 percent proficiency in math in 2018.
Participation rates by grade are around 98 percent.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen said in a news release that the results will help leaders identify areas where they can work to support improvement.
She said OPI is committed to working with schools to "move the needle" on student achievement, and said, "while one test does not represent a student’s full potential, these results do show where we can start supporting improvement. State assessments in combination with local measurements provide data for teachers to support individualized student success.”
