Disappointing early results from Michigan’s efforts to improve reading among low-income students.

Guy speaks with Senior Research Director Craig Thiel about his recent issue brief looking at Michigan’s efforts to improve early literacy among low-income students, with increased funding and accountability measures. Unfortunately, while the data is still relatively new, the state’s efforts are not yielding hoped-for results.

While Michigan student test scores in several other grades and subjects have shown important (albeit gradual) improvements since the COVID-19 pandemic, the reading proficiency rates for third- and fourth-grade students continue to decline. A recent reminder of this concerning trend was brought to light when the Michigan Department of Education released the Spring 2025 statewide assessment results, showing that fewer than four in ten third graders tested proficient in reading.

The new analysis of third-grade reading results for at-risk students shows that fewer than half of all Michigan school districts have demonstrated improvement in “at-risk” student reading proficiency rates since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. These district-level improvements, however, varied based on a district’s socioeconomic status.

“We found that 50 percent of high-poverty districts saw improvement in third grade reading proficiency rates among “at-risk” students, compared to just 37 percent of low-poverty districts,” Thiel said.