LANSING – High school students, on average, performed better in all subjects in 2014 than last year, but slightly fewer were college and career ready in all subjects, according to scores released Monday.

The scores from the 2014 Michigan Merit Exam, given to all 11th graders, showed substantial improvements in reading, social studies and science, and smaller improvements in other subjects. But on the ACT portion of the test, there were slight declines in the percentage of students career and college ready in mathematics, as well as overall.

“Michigan students are making progress,” Governor Rick Snyder said in a statement. “These improved scores reflect the hard work of the students, and also the great effort of teachers and others in our state’s schools dedicated to improvement. Our mission is to keep that focus on our students, making sure they have the rigorous education they need to be successful.”

Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan said the scores showed the need to retain the state’s curriculum.

“The continued improvements over time show the value of requiring Michigan students taking rigorous coursework,” Flanagan said. “Whether they learn the higher-level concepts in a traditional classroom or in a career-tech course, students are learning.”

Education Trust-Midwest acknowledged the improvements, but said the state is still too far behind others in student achievement, particularly for certain groups of students.

“While we are glad to see some progress, we know that we can do better for our students,” Amber Arellano, executive director of Ed Trust-Midwest, said in a release. “There are many states that we can look to for models of how to dramatically raise learning for all children.”

The largest improvement overall was in reading, where 58.7 percent of students were proficient, compared to 53.5 percent last year. The score also represents a high point for the past four years.

Social studies, with 43.9 percent of students proficient, also saw a four-year high and the reverse of three years of declines. Some 41.2 percent were proficient in 2011, and the scores had fallen from there.

The science proficiency level rose to 28.4 percent from 25.7 percent in 2013. That score was relatively steady until the current increase.

Writing, where 50.8 percent were proficient, saw a slight climb from 49.3 percent in 2013, but a substantial increase from 46.9 percent in 2011.

In math, 28.8 percent students were proficient. That was up from 28.6 percent in 2013, but still down from 19.1 percent in 2012.

On the ACT portion of the test, 17.8 percent showed college and career readiness in all subjects, down from 18.1 percent in 2013. But last year’s performance was up compared to 17.7 percent in 2012 and 17.3 percent in 2011.

In English and reading, the state saw a steady increase in readiness on the tests, but both math and science have seen some fluctuation in that rating over the last four years.

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