Texas education commissioner: reading rebounds, math lagging; TEA outlines charter and legislative changes

Commissioner Mike Morath told the State Board of Education on June 25 that statewide student assessment results show reading proficiency has generally recovered from COVID declines while mathematics recovery remains incomplete.

The presentation drew on STAR/STAAR results for grades 3–8 and high school end‑of‑course tests. Morath said reading-language-arts proficiency at several elementary grades now exceeds pre‑COVID levels, and he pointed to a 3 percentage‑point year‑over‑year gain in third‑grade reading 'meets grade level' rates. By contrast, he said, math shows mixed year‑to‑year changes and — unlike reading — has not returned to 2019 proficiency levels in any tested grade.

Why it matters: Morath framed math shortfalls as a structural concern because mathematics relies on cumulative mastery of prior topics. He said gaps from the pandemic years can compound as students advance, which helps explain the persistently low algebra 1 proficiency and the larger remedial needs seen in postsecondary settings.

Details from the presentation: Morath summarized proficiency trends by subject and subgroup. Highlights he cited: - Reading (grades 3–8): year‑over‑year gains; third grade up roughly 3 percentage points (e.g., from 46% to 49% meeting grade level). He told the board reading results now generally exceed 2019 levels. - Math (grades 3–8): mixed results with gains at some grades (third and eighth) and backsliding at others; none of the math categories have fully recovered to 2019 proficiency rates. - Science and social studies: 5th and 8th grade science showed…