For the second straight year, fewer than half of Missouri schoolchildren are performing at grade level in English and math, according to 2019 test score data released Thursday by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Across the state’s public and charter schools, 49% of students are proficient or advanced in English and 42% in math. It was the second year students took a more difficult test that caused steep drops between 2017 and 2018.

The data release also included information on student improvement, attendance and graduation rates. The state did not release annual performance report scores this year, which determine the level of accreditation for a district.

In the provisionally accredited Normandy and Riverview Gardens school districts, test scores and attendance rates dropped, according to the scores released Thursday. But the education department did not reveal any changes to the districts’ accreditation status.

Normandy had the worst test scores of any district in the state, with 15% of students passing English and 7% passing math. Among other changes, the district opened a new early childhood center and combined its elementary and middle schools this fall in an effort to boost scores.