A press release from the QAC Board of Education reports that Maryland State Assessment test scores for the 2012-2013 school year showed a decline in proficiency in reading, and a substantial decline in math scores.
These results were anticipated by the Board. QACPS transitioned to the Maryland Common Core State Standards curriculum during the 2012-2013 school year, causing a misalignment with what was being taught and what was being tested.
A new test that begins field testing next year, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), is aligned with the MCCSS. The state will also retire the MSA after next year’s administration.
Read the full press release below.
At the August, 2013 Board of Education meeting, The Superintendent of Schools of Queen Anne’s County, Dr. Carol Williamson, announced the release of Maryland State Assessment (MSA) Reading and Math scores for the 2012-2013 school year. These state assessments are administered annually to all students in grades three through eight and are intended to measure student achievement within the Maryland State Curriculum (MSC). This year’s results in reading indicated the percentage of students scoring proficient and advanced decreased slightly. There was a more significant decline in all grade levels in mathematics. Although these scores were disappointing, they were not unexpected. Dr. Williamson reminded the Board that earlier in the year she had warned that the transition to the Maryland Common Core State Standards during the 2012-2013 school year would likely mean a drop in MSA test scores because what was being taught was the new required curriculum and it would not be aligned with what MSA was testing.
While many Maryland school systems have begun a slow implementation of the Maryland Common Core State Standards (MCCSS) during the 2012-2013 school year, planning to complete the transitions in the 2013-2014 school year, Queen Anne’s County opted to fully transition to MCCSS during last school year. Although there is significant overlap between this new curriculum and the MSC in reading, the alignment between the MSC and the MCCSS in language arts and math is not as clear. In some cases, skills and processes have been shifted to different grade levels and the rigor or depth of understanding has increased. In other cases emphasis has been placed on additional knowledge and skills that were not a priority in the older MSC. The decision to transition completely to the MCCSS was made to provide Queen Anne’s County students the best opportunity to be successful under the new curriculum. It is important to note that the MSA is designed to measure student progress in meeting the old MSC curriculum and not the new MCCSS which Queen Anne’s is currently teaching. The impact of this decision is that Queen Anne’s County scores on the MSA, especially in mathematics, has been negatively impacted. This was entirely expected and is expected to happen again next year on the final administration of the MSA before it is retired by the state.
In addition to the final administration of the MSA, this coming school year will bring the field testing of the new Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessments that are aligned to the Common Core. The new tests, under development by Maryland and 21 other states for the past four years, measure the critical content and skills embedded in the new curriculum standards. The PARCC assessments are being built to measure a full continuum of student abilities, including the performance of high- and low-performing students. The assessments will test writing skills at every grade level, as well as critical thinking and problem solving skills in an in-depth manner. In addition, the PARCC exams are computer-based, which will allow for timely snapshots of student knowledge that provide parents and students with richer information about performance, and give educators the opportunity to adjust instruction to better support learning.
Dr. Williamson credits the students, teachers, principals and supervisors for their hard work and dedication through this time of transition. She also pointed out the amount of growth that the school system has made over the ten years since the inception of the MSA. Even with last year’s decrease in scores, Queen Anne’s County students have made significant gains since the initial MSA was given in 2004.
The scores below reflect the percentage of students whose results were in the proficient and advanced range on the state assessments and shows the 10 years of overall growth from 2004 to 2013, including the slight decline in scores from 2012 to 2013.
Queen Anne’s County 2013 MSA Scores
GRADE |
READING |
MATH |
||||||||
Percent Proficient/advanced |
Difference |
Percent Proficient/advanced |
Difference |
|||||||
2004 |
2012 |
2013 |
From 2012 |
From 2004 |
2004 |
2012 |
2013 |
From 2012 |
From 2004 |
|
3rd |
79% |
93% |
92% |
-1 |
+13 |
82% |
>95%* |
88% |
-6 |
+6 |
4th |
86% |
>95%* |
95% |
* |
+9 |
83% |
>95%* |
90% |
-5 |
+7 |
5th |
82% |
95% |
94% |
-1 |
+12 |
78% |
94% |
81% |
-13 |
+3 |
6th |
81% |
93% |
91% |
-2 |
+10 |
61% |
94% |
77% |
-17 |
+16 |
7th |
81% |
91% |
92% |
-1 |
+11 |
62% |
88% |
70% |
-18 |
+8 |
8th |
75% |
88% |
89% |
+1 |
+14 |
52% |
76% |
69% |
-7 |
+17 |
*Due to FERPA regulations more accurate data may not be published
The 2013 MSA science scores from the elementary and middle schools, High School Assessment (HSA) scores, graduation rates and attendance figures will be released in the coming months. High school and system-wide School Progress information will be available shortly after the HSA scores are released.
Statewide, system, and local school MSA data are available on the Maryland State Department of Education’s updated Web site, www.mdreportcard.org.
For more info please contact the QACPS Office of Public Information:
Jeff Straight, [email protected] 410 758-2403, x148
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