Michigan reading scores drop again. State superintendent: ‘We need to improve’

Michigan third grade reading scores continued to slide in the state’s most recent standardized tests this year, even as schools begin to implement reading reforms. Just 38.2 percent of third grade students in Michigan are proficient in English Language Arts, down from 38.9 percent the previous year, according to results released Friday from the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress, commonly known as the M-STEP. Students took the tests in spring 2026. It’s the lowest third gr