Minnesota test scores held steady in 2025 — still leaving about half of students short of grade-level benchmarks in math and reading, new data show.
Black and American Indian students, and students of two or more races, showed some progress, however, in closing some of the nation’s widest achievement gaps.
“While assessment results reflect a moment in time, the work happening in our classrooms every day is building the foundation for long-term student success,” state Education Commissioner Willie Jett said Thursday.
Hopes are high for future literacy gains following the passage in 2023 of the Read Act, which places a greater emphasis on phonics. Some schools had already embraced the back-to-basics approach, and have reported success at the local level.
“It is not whether the Read Act is working; it’s where it is working,” said Katie Pekel, executive director of educational leadership at the University of Minnesota. “These are the schools we should be writing case studies about or holding up as lighthouse examples.”
More than 30,000 teachers were in pipelines to be trained statewide as of January 2025 in what is a multi-year effort to improve literacy.
Students still are struggling to meet grade-level standards in math, and racial disparities persist, according to the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA) data.
Josh Crosson, executive director of the education advocacy group EdAllies, which works closely with underserved communities, said he believes achievement gaps are not about “what kids can and can’t do,” but about access to programs and quality instruction.