MIDLAND, Mich. — The damage caused by pandemic school closures can be seen in the results of the 2024 Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress, released today by the Michigan Department of Education.

Third and fourth graders' proficiency in English and math in 2023-24 was sharply lower than the level recorded in the 2018-19 school year. Students taking the M-STEP for the first time as third-graders began kindergarten in the 2020-21 school year. This year's proficiency rates were also lower compared to the rates in the same grades last year.

Michigan had some of the longest school closures in the country. In March 2021, only 23% of Michigan schools were fully in person. This was significantly lower than in the neighboring states of Ohio (47%), Wisconsin (54%) and Indiana (76%). Throughout 2021, students were continually denied additional resources that would have given them access to tutoring and other academic support. Gov. Whitmer vetoed three pieces of legislation that would have helped families cover the cost of tutoring, enrichment programs and literacy coaches.

Massive federal COVID spending did little to help students succeed. Although districts received around $6 billion in COVID cash, most opted to spend funds on increasing existing employee compensation, rather than on evidence-based interventions. The average public school received more than $4,600 extra per pupil in federal COVID funds, with lower-income districts like Flint receiving more than $51,000 per pupil.

“Recent M-STEP results showcase the negative impact that pandemic-era school closures had, especially on students who were starting their elementary education,” said Molly Macek, director of education policy at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. “These first few years are a critical time for children to develop literacy and other skills that set them up for success in the future. Even though it is abundantly clear that students across the state are falling behind, Gov. Whitmer and the legislature seem determined to lower academic standards and accountability through laws that will decrease the quality of education in Michigan’s public schools.”

New laws that will weaken education standards and accountability include the recent repeal of the third grade reading law and A-F evaluation system as well as the gutting of 2011 reforms that impact teacher evaluation and placement.

Learn more about the Mackinac Center’s work on education here.