ALPENA — Northeast Michigan students last school year fell behind in reading on state tests but improved in math while remaining well behind their peers statewide in both subjects, according to state data released Thursday.

Students both locally and statewide have yet to return to performance levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic.

“Though the 2022-23 school year was far from normal, given persistent staffing challenges and residual adverse impact of the pandemic, it was the most stable school year of the last four,” state Superintendent Michael Rice said in a statement Thursday. “Michigan’s educators worked hard to help students continue to rebound and to increase their learning.”

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Alpena Public Schools Superintendent Dave Rabbideau told his Board of Education this week that his staff is working hard to improve test scores across the board.

“One of the things that is troubling for us is our data around standardized tests,” he said.

Across the seven K-12 public school districts in Alpena, Presque Isle, Montmorency, and Alcona counties, about 35% of third- through eighth-grade students tested proficient or better in reading and English during the 2022-23 school year, according to a News analysis of state test data.

That’s down from about 36% in the 2021-22 school year and down from about 41% in the 2018-19 school year, the last time the state tested students before COVID-19 broke out.

Students did not take state tests during the 2019-20 school year because Gov. Gretchen Whitmer shut down schools that spring to prevent the spread of the virus.

Every school district in Northeast Michigan saw declines in reading proficiency over the last two school years and since before the pandemic.

Northeast Michigan reading and English proficiency last school year ranged from about 30% in Rogers City Area Schools to about 37% in Onaway Area Schools.

In most Northeast Michigan school districts, proficiency rates can vary widely from year to year because the districts have so few students that a handful of students’ scores can swing the proficiency rate.

Statewide, about 44% of students tested proficient or better in reading and English last school year, roughly flat compared to the 2021-22 school year but down from 47% during the 2018-19 school year.

In math, about 26% of Northeast Michigan third- through eighth-graders tested proficient or better last school year, up from about 25% the year before but down from about 32% in the 2018-19 school year.

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Every Northeast Michigan school district except Rogers City and Hillman Community Schools saw improvements in math proficiency over the last two school years. Proficiency dropped when compared to pre-pandemic scores in every school district except Hillman.

Northeast Michigan math proficiency last school year ranged from about 18% in Rogers City to about 35% in Posen Consolidated School District.

Statewide, 35% of students tested proficient or better in math last school year, up from about 34% in the previous school year but down from 39% before the pandemic hit.

Critically, third-grade readers in Northeast Michigan have more than rebounded since the pandemic, though proficiency rates remain low.

After falling from 35% to 33% proficiency between the 2018-19 and 2021-22 school years, third-graders across Northeast Michigan bounced back last school year, with 39% testing proficient or better in reading.

Research has shown that strong reading ability by third grade is critical to future learning because students need to read textbooks and other materials to succeed in every subject after third grade.

State tests are just one measure of student learning. Schools also use tests throughout the school year to track student progress. Some students grasp subjects well but test poorly.