Minnesota Department of Education Releases 2023 Statewide Assessment and Accountability Data
Results Reinforce the Continued Need for Support
MINNEAPOLIS – Today the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) released the 2023 statewide assessment and accountability results.
The results confirm the need for continuing support for students and educators as they do the hard work of learning recovery by rebuilding connections and skills in all subject areas. The data also underscores the need for the investments in education made during the legislative session by Governor Tim Walz and the legislature in literacy, education workforce and student support.
Today’s release of the 2023 North Star Accountability report contains results of the 2023 statewide assessments, which include the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs), Minnesota Test of Academic Skills (MTAS), Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners (ACCESS for ELLs), and Alternate ACCESS for ELLs.
Assessment results are mixed with a 1% increase in overall math scores, a 1% decrease in reading scores and a 2% decrease in science scores since assessments were last completed in 2022. Scores in each assessment area remain about 10 percentage points below their pre-pandemic levels from 2019.
“These statewide assessment results reinforce what we and other states around the country already know—our students, families, school communities, and educators are continuing to recover from the pandemic and need our support,” said Commissioner Willie Jett. “This data is important as one part of a broader set of measures that tell us how our students and families are doing and what we need to do in partnership with our school communities to provide support for students to not only recover, but also excel.”
Students take statewide reading assessments in grades 3-8 and 10. Of the students who took the reading MCA and MTAS, 49.9% met or exceeded grade level standards, down 1.2 percentage points from 2022.
In math, 45.5% of students in grades 3-8 and 11 who took the MCA or MTAS met or exceeded grade level standards, up 0.7 percentage points from 2022.
The science MCA and MTAS are administered for students in grades five and eight and once in high school. In 2023, 39.2% of students who took the assessments met or exceeded grade level standards, which is a 2.1 percentage point drop from 2022.
ACCESS for ELLs measures students’ English language proficiency. Of the students who took the ACCESS for ELLs in 2023, 8.6% were proficient in English, a 0.2 percentage point decrease from 2022.
MDE also released North Star attendance data for the 2021-22 school year. This is the first attendance data release since 2019. North Star Attendance data tracks consistent attendance, or the number of students who are attending school at least 90% of the time and who are not chronically absent. Statewide consistent attendance fell to 69.8% of students attending at least 90% of the time. Prior to the pandemic, Minnesota’s consistent attendance rate was about 85%.
"We will not shy away from what the data are telling us. These results send a renewed sense of urgency and underscore the importance of key supports that are already underway, Commissioner Jett said. “As we enter a new school year, MDE is committed to providing support, through programs such as COMPASS and implementing the READ Act and other new legislation, to help every school in Minnesota as they strive to meet the academic, social-emotional and mental health needs of students.”
For the first time the assessment and accountability reports use the Minnesota definition for all racial student groups. The state definition allows students to be reported as American Indian even if they also belong to other racial and ethnic groups. Under the federal definition of American Indian or Alaska Native, these students would fall under “Hispanic/Latino” or “two or more races” and would not be counted as American Indian or Alaska Native in reporting.
Statewide assessment and accountability results are available in the Minnesota Report Card and MDE’s Data Center.
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