2026 State Test Score Results Data Series
The 2026 State Test Score Results Data Series is published by the Education Data Center and is designed to provide updates on 2026 state assessment data.
What to expect: Our goal is to provide high-level insights on ELA and math state summative assessment outcomes for students in grades 3-8. We will publish overviews as State Education Agencies (SEAs) publicly release assessment results and/or as we receive aggregate results via public records requests.
For additional information about each state assessment, please see the end of this post. All available 2026 assessment data used for this data series will be published by the EDC in December.
Questions, comments, or suggestions? Let us know at info@eddatacenter.org!
Trends Over Time
Last week, the Nevada Department of Education (NDE) released the 2026 results from the state’s Smarter Balanced assessment; we report on only Grades 3-8 here. NDE has administered the same assessment since 2016, with two caveats. First, in 2016 and 2017, eighth graders taking Algebra I were exempt from the grade 8 math test, but this ended in 2018; as a result, some of the “gain” in 2018 may reflect some of the higher-performing students taking the Smarter Balanced assessment who had not done so in the past. Second, the state had much lower-than-typical participation rates in 2021 with the federal participation waiver.
In 2026, ELA and math moved in opposite directions: math has ticked up steadily between 2021 and 2026, while ELA has seen uneven gains and declines during that time. In the state press release, NDE’s Superintendent Victor Wakefield noted:
“After recent gains, these results are a clear reminder of both the progress Nevada has made and the work still ahead. The ambitious goals in our new statewide strategic plan reflect the outcomes Nevada students need to thrive in school and beyond. Now, our focus must be on translating that plan into action and ensuring every Nevada student has the strong academic foundations that deeper learning depends on.”
Regarding the “ambitious goals” referenced by Superintendent Wakefield: NDE has created a draft Statewide Plan for the Improvement of Pupils (STIP), in which it sets targets of 60% ELA proficiency in Grade 3 and 40% math proficiency in Grade 8 by Spring 2031, five years from now. As of 2026, Grade 3 is at 44.4% proficiency in ELA, while Grade 8 is at 28% proficiency in math. More information on the draft plan is available here; the public comment period is open through October 21, and NDE encourages families, educators and community members to offer feedback.
A brief summary by subject:
ELA: Approximately 45.2% of students in grades 3-8 reached proficiency on the assessment, down slightly from 45.7% in 2025. The decline was seen across nearly all student subgroups (Hispanic gained by only 0.1pp). Grade 7 saw the largest drop (-5.3pp). In contrast, Grade 5 led the state’s ELA gains (+4pp), followed by Grade 6 (+0.72pp). No district improved across all grade levels in ELA, but some improved across four grade levels: Douglas, Elko, Lyon, Nye, and Pershing.
Math: Approximately 36.3% of students in grades 3-8 reached proficiency in 2026, up from 35.5% in 2025 (+0.8pp). In contrast to ELA, the majority of student subgroups saw gains in math, led by Hispanic students with a gain of 1.4 percentage points. All grade levels made gains in math, led by +1.75pp in Grade 6, with Grade 5 largely holding steady with a gain of 0.02pp. As with other states we have covered in 2026, we see a widening gender gap in math: in 2016, boys outperformed girls by about 2.0pp; after the pandemic, the gap has begun to grow, and now stands at a gap of 6.2pp in 2026 (39.3% to 33.1%). Clark County, the largest district in the state, improved across all grade levels in math.
Results by Achievement Level
A Closer Look at 2026
State Assessment Background
Assessment Name: Smarter Balanced, 2016-2026
Additional Information:
General Smarter Balanced assessment resources can be found here: https://doe.nv.gov/offices/office-of-assessment-data-and-accountability-management-adam/office-of-assessments/smarter-balanced-assessments
Assessment results are available from the Nevada Report Card here: https://nevadareportcard.nv.gov/di/
The state’s 2026 press release can be found here: https://doe.nv.gov/news-media/2026-press-releases/nevada-releases-student-and-school-results-launches-new-district-performance-framework
Data presented here are specific to this state’s assessment and are not comparable to assessments administered by other states. For questions, please reach out to info@eddatacenter.org.
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