The Skillman Foundation

On Friday, the Michigan Department of Education released statewide assessment data, including Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) and SAT/PSAT results. The latest results tell a complicated story. There are areas where student performance remains far below where it should be, including a decline in statewide third-grade reading proficiency. But the results also show places where progress is being made, and those gains are worth understanding and building on.

Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) is one of those places.

Third-grade English Language Arts proficiency increased from 12.9% to 14.1%, the district’s highest result to date and the second consecutive year of improvement, even as statewide third-grade reading proficiency declined from 38.9% to 38.2%.

DPSCD also saw eighth-grade math proficiency rise from 9.9% to 12.4%, another district high. And while statewide 11^th grade college readiness declined, DPSCD’s rate held steady after several years of improvement.

“Michigan’s latest results make clear that we have more work to do, but they should also push us to look closely at where progress is happening and why,” said Angelique Power, president & CEO of The Skillman Foundation. “Detroit’s gains are still early, but the direction matters. DPSCD has spent years building a comprehensive strategy and making sustained investments in students, educators, and classrooms. That is an important reminder for all of us: meaningful improvement in education takes sustained investment, strong strategy, and time. We cannot move from one short-term solution to the next and expect lasting results. When we see progress, our responsibility is to understand what is contributing to it, sustain what is working, and keep building toward the outcomes every Michigan student deserves.”

DPSCD began making strategic investments in a comprehensive approach to teacher recruitment, training, and retention, curriculum, student supports, and early literacy before the pandemic. Progress in third-grade reading starts well before third grade, and meaningful academic improvement takes time. These gains are a reminder that sustained progress rarely comes from a single program or short-term intervention, but from staying committed to a broader strategy over time.

The district’s literacy gains also coincide with investments supported by the $94 million literacy settlement reached with the State of Michigan. The current third-grade cohort was the first to benefit from those investments throughout its early elementary years. Additional funding connected to the settlement is scheduled to end after the 2026-27 school year, making this an important moment to understand which investments are contributing to progress and how effective supports can be sustained rather than allowed to disappear just as they are beginning to show results.