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MPS reaction to new Wisconsin student assessments just released
Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius offered her reaction to the latest Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction student assessment results.
MILWAUKEE - The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) released on Thursday, Oct. 1, standardized assessment results from the 2025-26 school year. Officials said those results show a slight increase in student performance in both English language arts (ELA) and reading.
Standardized test results
By the numbers:
According to data from the Wisconsin Student Assessment System — which includes the Forward Exam, Dynamic Learning Maps, the PreACT Secure and the ACT — 48.4 percent of students in grades 3-11 were proficient or above in ELA, while 48.7 percent were proficient or above in math.
What they're saying:
"Wisconsin students continue to make steady progress, and we should be proud of that progress," State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly said. "At the same time, we know too many students are still not where they need to be. Every student deserves the opportunity to become a strong reader, a skilled mathematician, and a successful learner. We have more work to do as a state to give our students the support they need and give educators the tools and resources they need to help them succeed. We owe it to every student and every educator to keep moving it forward."
Milwaukee Public Schools data
By the numbers:
Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) Superintendent Brenda Cassellius announced early academic gains under the district’s new literacy strategy.
According to a news release from MPS, data from the 2026 Wisconsin Forward exam show a 1.5 percentage-point increase in overall English Language Arts proficiency for students in grades 3 through 8, rising from 23.6% to 25.1%.
Schools across MPS also saw improvements in mathematics, science, and social studies in grades 3 through 8:
- Math proficiency for grades 3–8 also grew slightly, up 0.8 point, from 19.3% to 20.1%.
- Science proficiency grew 3 points, from 20.3% to 23.3%.
- Social studies proficiency rose 1.9 points, from 27.4% to 29.3%.
High school results were more mixed, underscoring the work that remains:
- Math proficiency increased 1 point, from 12% to 13% — with Black students exceeding average growth at 1.8 points.
- Science proficiency rose 0.4 point, from 14.8% to 15.2%.
- High school ELA proficiency declined 1.2 percentage points, from 21.4% to 20.2%.
A news release from MPS says 23 schools saw ELA proficiency growth of 5 perfect points or more:
- Academia Lenguaje y Bellas Artes
- Lloyd Barbee Montessori School
- Bruce School (up more than 10 points)
- Cass Street School (up more than 10 points)
- Clement Avenue School
- Craig Montessori School (up more than 10 points)
- Eighty-First Street School
- Elm Creative Arts School
- Lowell P. Goodrich School
- Hi-Mount Community School
- Keefe Avenue School
- Rufus King International Middle School
- MacDowell Montessori School
- Manitoba School
- Ralph H. Metcalfe School
- Milwaukee French Immersion School
- MIlwaukee Spanish Immersion School
- Ninety-Fifth Street School
- Parkview School
- Riley Dual Language Montessori School
- River Trail School of Agricultural Science
- Trowbridge School of Great Lakes Studies (up more than 10 points)
- Whittier School
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Full assessment data can be found on the DPI’s WISEdash Public Portal.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.