Could You Pass A State Standardized Test?

UNDATED (WJON News) - The grades are in, and Minnesota kids are not scoring as well on standardized tests as they were before the pandemic.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress reports Minnesota placed 12^th in the nation in standardized testing with just over 30% of students scoring above proficient in mathematics, reading, science, and writing skills.

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However, total test scores across all categories are lower than the scores posted in 2019 and 2017.

How hard is the test? What type of questions are being asked? Practice tests are readily available on the internet, so we decided to find out.  Here are a few sample questions from the math portion of the test, and how the average Minnesota student scored in 2022.

Grade 4:

In 2022, the average math score for 4th grade students was 239, down from 248 in 2019, but higher than the score of 234 posted in 2000.

Grade 8:

The average score for 8th graders was 280, down from 287 in 2000 and the average of 291 posted in 2019.

What does it all mean?

News releases from the Minnesota Department of Education say the decline in scores is unacceptable but anticipated. Schools will use the new data to guide classrooms in overcoming the gap caused by the COVID shutdown.