Methodology

The proficiency rate is the percentage of students who scored high enough on their end-of-year assessment to be considered proficient – or “on grade level” – for that grade and subject. Research shows that staying on grade level will help ensure students are prepared for success in college and career upon graduation from high school.

All state-level proficiency data was sourced from the state’s publicly available online data sources. The site uses unweighted data to calculate proficiency rates. In contrast, some states use weighted data to make such calculations, so their posted proficiency rates may vary from what’s on the Assessment HQ site.

A state’s participation rate data broken down by demographic provides important context about who did and did not take the assessment – especially following the COVID-19 pandemic – and should be considered in context when reviewing the assessment data. States varied greatly in the metrics and depth of information they released pertaining to participation rates. In response, we released information that showed how transparent states were in how they reported participation rates. 

The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread shutdowns in spring 2020 just as state testing was getting underway. The Education Department, in turn, issued waivers to federal testing requirements to all states.

State data should only be compared or aggregated when each state administers the same assessment. For example, states that administer Smarter Balanced could be compared, but states that administer a state-specific assessment should not be compared to another state. Even when a state shares the same standards and assessment, given the wide differences in test administration brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic any comparison of scores should be done with care.