Maryland students showed minor improvements in math and English language arts last year, but still had wide gaps between demographic groups, according to standardized test scores released Tuesday morning by the state Department of Education.
The State Board of Education reviewed the data Tuesday on the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP), which students took this spring during the 2023-24 school year.
The data are from tests taken by students in grades three through eight in math and language arts. Additional results are from specific math courses in Algebra I, Algebra II and geometry. Student proficiency is also measured in science for students in fifth and eighth grades.
Geoff Sanderson, deputy state superintendent of accountability for the department, said the overall increase was 3% in math and language arts from two years ago to last school year.
“Very little change from prior year to current year results,” he said.
The 2022-23 school year was the first, full statewide assessment since students returned to in-person instruction after many spent time learning from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A shortened version of the test was administered three years ago to assess how students fared during online instruction.
The MCAP is among factors that determine the state’s annual report card and school star rating system. New reports were last issued in March, the first time the state issued the annual report card since 2019 because of the pandemic.
School-level results will be released on the Maryland Report Card site next month.
In terms of tests taken this spring, about 48.1% of students reached overall proficiency in language arts; overall student proficiency in math was 24.1%.
All grade levels that were tested saw increases in their overall scores, with 10th grade students recording the highest percentage at 55.3%.
Geometry was the only math subject that didn’t improve from the previous school year. It decreased from 23.4% to 21.9%.
But one main problem still exists: student demographics. Almost all demographic groups saw year-over-year increases, but wide gaps between the groups remain.
Here’s a look at student proficiency in math based on race:
Asian students: 54.6% in 2023-24 school year; 54.3% in 2022-23 school year;White students: 37.9% in 2023-24 school year; 36.3% in 2022-23 school year;Black students: 12.1% in 2023-24 school year; 11.3% in 2022-23 school year;Hispanic/Latino students: 11.9% in 2023-24 school year; 11.5% in 2022-23 school year.
Here’s a look at student proficiency in language arts based on race:
Asian students: 74.8% in 2023-24 school year; 75.4% in 2022-23 school year;White students: 65.2% in 2023-24 school year; 63.9% in 2022-23 school year;Black students: 36.2% in 2023-24 school year; 35.2% in 2022-23 school year;Hispanic/Latino students: 31.8% in 2023-24 school year; 32.4% in 2022-23 school year.
A graphic of Maryland map that shows percentage of students who scored proficient in math from all 24 school districts. Screenshot.
The data also breaks down into student groups such as multilingual learners, economically disadvantaged and those with disabilities.
Board President Joshua Michael said no specific questions would be addressed Tuesday because the board will take a “deeper dive” into the results next month.
One part of that, he said, would be assessing certain schools based on poverty and whether a building is designated a community school. That is a school that receives a concentration of poverty grants and a variety of services such as before- or after-school tutoring, English-language learner courses and food pantries.
Board member Rachel McCusker advised her colleagues, those in attendance and people listening online that it takes time to make significant gains in student achievement.
“Those gains don’t happen overnight. They take time. It takes time to train teachers to get it moving with fidelity in schools,” said McCusker, a public school teacher in Carroll County. “It just makes a mindset to understand that changes in education don’t just happen.”
by William J. Ford, Maryland Matters
August 27, 2024
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