State Education Department Releases Preliminary Data on English Language Arts, Mathematics and Science State Exams

The State Education Department today announced that preliminary data on the Grades 3-8 English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics (Math) assessments, and the Grades 5 and 8 Science assessments, have been released to schools and school districts to provide parents and families with their students' assessment results and inform instructional decisions and individualized learning plans for students during the 2024-25 school year. The data are considered preliminary until they undergo the local district review and verification process, which will close on September 4, 2024.

The percentage of students scoring proficient by grade in each subject is shown below. Overall, the 2023-24 state assessment data from public and charter schools show that proficiency rates of students in Grades 3-8 on the ELA and Math assessments are 46% and 52%, respectively; the proficiency rate of students in both Grades 5 and 8 on the Science exam is 35%. Data are subject to change after the local review and verification period has closed and statewide quality checks have been completed.

These annual tests, required by the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), are designed to measure how well students are mastering the learning standards that guide classroom instruction and are a valuable tool to help ensure students have the supports needed to succeed. The annual tests are intended to be one measure used to assess student learning and one tool of many used by educators to ensure students are getting the services and supports they need to prepare for career, college, and civic readiness. 

Following the verification period, NYSED will engage in the labor-intensive process of updating assessment reports based on the data certified by schools and districts. Our goal is to provide teachers, administrators, and parents with as much information as possible about their students' performance and make it available as quickly as possible to improve classroom instruction. The public release of all final state assessment data is anticipated by November.

Additional information about the tests is available on the Department's State Assessment website.