Lang: Education Dollars Must Reach Classrooms After Troubling MCA Results

The Minnesota Department of Education has released the latest statewide results from the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCA), and the numbers reveal a troubling trend: for the third year in a row, student performance in math and reading remains largely stagnant.

This year’s report shows that only 45.2% of students are meeting grade-level standards in math, while just 49.6% are meeting standards in reading. Despite significant investments in education in recent years, these results suggest that many Minnesota students continue to fall short of proficiency in key academic areas. The numbers have barely moved in half a decade, and in the case of reading, proficiency has actually declined.

State Senator Andrew Lang responded to the new data with a call to reprioritize how education funding is spent. “We can’t accept declining student achievement as okay, and these test scores make it clear that’s what’s happening,” said Sen. Lang. “In the last few years, a lot of money has been sent to school districts, but it’s obvious not all of it is reaching the classroom. We need to put students and teachers first and fund efforts that actually improve student learning in Minnesota.”

The MCA results have been a consistent source of frustration for families, teachers, and policymakers alike. In math, student proficiency has hovered between 44 and 46 percent since 2021, showing almost no movement year over year. Reading scores, meanwhile, have dropped from 52.5 percent in 2021 to this year’s 49.6 percent. Science performance has followed a similar trajectory, dipping under 40 percent of students proficient before the state introduced new science assessments in 2025. For many parents, these numbers raise serious concerns about whether Minnesota schools are equipping children with the tools they need to succeed.

At the same time, Minnesota’s graduation rate has remained relatively steady, hovering between 83 and 84 percent for the past five years. While on paper this may look like stability, the disconnect between graduation rates and proficiency scores sparks a deeper question: are students leaving school with the skills they need for college or the workforce, or are they moving forward without mastering essential foundations?

The Minnesota Department of Education has made it clear that its mission is to pursue equity, opportunity, and excellence for all students. The department highlights goals like ensuring all third graders can read at grade level, closing racial and economic achievement gaps, and preparing every student for college or career. It also points to the Minnesota Report Card as a tool to help families better understand how their schools are performing and how they might advocate for improvement. While useful, the Department itself acknowledges that no data set can replace the value of families working directly with teachers to understand and support student progress.

Beyond test scores, other statewide indicators show mixed results. The number of students who attend school consistently—defined as being present more than 90 percent of the time—stands at 75.5 percent. Surveys also suggest that students feel cared for by their teachers, with nearly 90 percent reporting that they either strongly agree or agree that teachers are invested in their success. These bright spots demonstrate that there is a strong foundation of care and connection within Minnesota classrooms. However, the persistent stagnation in academic outcomes shows that relationships and attendance, while critical, are not enough on their own to drive student achievement forward.

Senator Lang’s call to action reflects a growing frustration among lawmakers who see the state’s substantial education spending not translating into measurable gains for students. His argument—that too much funding is tied up in bureaucracy and not enough is reaching classrooms directly—echoes concerns often raised by families and teachers who feel they lack adequate resources where it matters most. He has stressed that Minnesota must target spending toward proven strategies, whether that be early literacy interventions, math support programs, or investments in teacher training and classroom tools.

With nearly half of Minnesota’s students failing to meet basic proficiency standards, Lang and others argue the state cannot afford to continue with business as usual. As the debate over education funding and accountability continues at the Capitol, the latest MCA scores serve as a sobering reminder of the challenges facing Minnesota’s schools. Families, educators, and policymakers now face a critical choice: whether to maintain current approaches and risk more years of stagnation, or to reimagine how resources are allocated to ensure that students and teachers truly come first.