Montana Students Post Gains in Reading and Math: ELA Proficiency Rises to 45.6%, Math to 40.5%
Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen released statewide student achievement results for the 2025-26 school year in Helena on November 12, showing gains in both English language arts (ELA) and math in every tested grade.
Statewide, ELA proficiency improved from 43.1% to 45.6%, and math proficiency increased from 36.9% to 40.5%. Third-grade math posted the largest gain, from 37.3% to 43.3%. Among students in grades 3 through 8, 72.8% were at near proficient, proficient or advanced in ELA, and 69% in math.
Students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals improved in math from 26.6% to 29.8% and in ELA from 32.7% to 34.5%. American Indian students improved in math from 9.9% to 12.5% and in ELA from 15.1% to 16.7%. With 98.2% of eligible students participating, the results offer a broad snapshot of Montana classrooms.
The gains come from the Montana Aligned to Standards Through-Year (MAST) assessment, which replaces one long summative test with shorter testlets given throughout the school year, each tied to recently learned content, with teachers receiving results the Monday after testing and families able to view results throughout the year. Hedalen said the state has focused on core academic foundations in reading, writing and math, and that the focus is paying off. Montana also performed above the national average and ahead of other western states in all assessed categories on the 2024 NAEP Report Card.
(Source: Montana Office of Public Instruction)
Source: Montana Office of Public Instruction
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Helena 的蒙大拿州议会大厦。Wikimedia Commons 照片，CC BY 2.0。 / Photo: Montana State Capitol in Helena. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
