Missouri test scores edge up; more than half of students below proficient 

Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released statewide test results last week. They show slight score improvements thoug more than half of students remain below proficiency in math and English.

At its August State Board of Education meeting, DESE presented preliminary results for the 2025-26 Missouri Assessment Program (MAP), a standardized test used to gauge how well students are learning. Students in grades 3-8 take MAP assessments once a year while high schoolers take the test once overall.

The latest results suggest that in 2025-2026, students improved by a few percentage points on average in English language arts, government, math and science.

Notable proficiency increases compared to the previous year, 2024-25, include:

• Sixth grade math increased by three percentage points to 48.9%

• Eighth grade science increased by more than four percentage points to 43.9%

• English II increased more than five percentage points to 58.4%

• Biology increased more than three percentage points to 40.6%

Mean scores for students in third through eighth grade in English and Math either improved or stayed the same compared to the previous year with students in grade 3 scoring significantly lower than the rest.

However, 55% of students from third grade and up scored below proficient (includes below basic + basic) in English, and 56% of students third grade and up scored below proficient in math.

In English, 30% of third graders scored below basic – a score region that indicates the student needs substantial academic support to be prepared for the next grade level. Grade 6 had the next highest number of students in the below basic category with 22%.

In math, 30% of students in grades 3, 4 and 5 scored below basic. High school students in Geometry, which is optional for most, had the highest percentage of students with advanced scores at 42%.

“We’re seeing steady progress, thanks to the hard work of students, educators, and families,” Interim Commissioner of Education Dr. Stacey Preis said in a statement. “There’s more to do, but these results show upward momentum in classrooms across the state.”

(Photo credit: Unsplash, CDC)