Category: Education – Academic Assessment

Illinois is developing a Comprehensive Numeracy Plan to address persistent math achievement gaps affecting nearly three out of four students. The Illinois State Board of Education is conducting an eight-stop listening tour through November to gather educator feedback on evidence-based strategies. Math proficiency dropped from 32% in 2019 to 28% in 2024, while literacy scores have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. The final plan is expected for state board approval by June 2026.

New York City schools celebrate substantial test score gains—reading proficiency up 7.2 points, math up 3.5 points, reaching the highest levels since 2012. But the data reveals a troubling complexity: achievement gaps widened for students with disabilities, and the majority of Black and Latino students still don’t meet grade-level standards. Educational researchers urge caution before attributing improvements solely to curriculum mandates, noting that statewide gains and test preparation efforts complicate the picture.

Michigan’s $87 million literacy investment is delivering results as students improve in five of seven English language arts grade levels. The comprehensive reform combines evidence-based materials, teacher training, and competitive innovation grants across 561 districts, representing the state’s most ambitious reading initiative in decades while implementing new science-of-reading mandates.

California ends its decades-long “reading wars” with unanimous passage of AB 1454, comprehensive science of reading legislation backed by $200 million in state funding. The historic compromise brings evidence-based literacy instruction to over 5.8 million students while addressing teacher union concerns through voluntary implementation.

Michigan’s unprecedented $87 million literacy investment reaches 561 school districts, providing evidence-based reading materials and professional development aligned to science of reading research. While 2025 assessment results show improvement in most grade levels, persistent early elementary challenges highlight the complexity of systematic literacy transformation during implementation phases.

Michigan’s unprecedented $87 million literacy investment reaches 561 school districts, providing evidence-based reading materials and professional development aligned to science of reading research. While 2025 assessment results show improvement in most grade levels, persistent early elementary challenges highlight the complexity of systematic literacy transformation during implementation phases.