By Nicole AsburyAugust 22, 2023 at 6:20 p.m. EDT Washington Post
A majority of Maryland students’ test scores improved for the second yearin English language arts, but students are still academically behind in mathematics because of the impact of the pandemic, according to results from state assessments released Tuesday.F
Students showed some gains in mathematics compared with 2022, but the number who tested as proficient fell short of 2019 levels — before schools closed to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. Overall, a majority of students improved from a shortened assessment taken in the fall of 2021 that showed test scores plummeted. The fall 2021 assessment was taken just as schools were reopening for in-person instruction.
For example, 30 percent of sixth-graders scored as proficient in math in 2019, but results from the 2023 assessment show that only 19 percent of students received the same score. Twenty-seven percent of students tested proficient in Algebra I in 2019, but only 17 percent met the standard last school year.
The state defines proficient learners as students who are “prepared for the next grade level or course and are on track for college and career readiness.”
Maryland test results show ‘widened’ achievement gaps, especially in math
The results mirror national trends showing that students have regained traction in English but are struggling in math. On the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) that was released in October, the portion of eighth-graders rated proficient or better in math fell to 27 percent, from 34 percent in 2019. Average math scoresfor the eighth grade fell by eight points, from 282 in 2019 to 274, on a 500-point scale, and in fourth grade by five points — the steepest declines recorded in more than a half-century of testing. Reading scores also fell, dropping among both fourth- and eighth-graders, but the declines were not as steep as they were in math.
Last year, Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury warned state board members that virtual learning took a large toll on mathematics and that the state’s students would have “a long load of recovery.” His agency is investing up to $10 million to establish a permanent statewide tutoring corps that will target students who are not proficient in mathematics. The state is also focusing on improvements to math instruction through the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a landmark statewide education plan that invests billions in public schools over a 10-year span.
Choudhury said during a state board meeting Tuesday that “the money needs to land in the right places” to see statewide assessment improvements, especially for students who are underserved. “We need the boats that have historic inequities and other challenges to rise faster,” Choudhury said.
In English language arts, most students showed improvement compared with 2019. Forty-eight percent of third-graders scored proficient last school year; that was more than the 41 percent who hit the mark in 2019, as well as a small increase from 2022, when 46 percent of third-graders scored proficient. Also in 2023, 54 percent of 10th-graders scored proficient, compared with 43 percent in 2019.
All Maryland student demographic groups showed improvements, but there were still achievement gaps. A majority of low-income students and students of color were behind their wealthier and White peers. Roughly 11 percent of students who are “economically disadvantaged” in grades three through eight received a proficient score in mathematics. (The state considers a student to be economically disadvantaged if they meet one of several criteria, including participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and foster status.) Meanwhile, about 34 percent of students in grades three through eight whom the state did not designate as economically disadvantaged obtained a proficient result.
Maryland assessments show students are falling behind in mathematics
Most Maryland state board members celebrated the improvements in English language arts, though some were concerned about the minimal progress among English learners and students with disabilities. Twelve percent of students with disabilities in grades three through eight were proficient in English language arts on the 2023 assessment, an increase of one percentage point compared with last year. Twelve percent of English learners in grades three through eight were proficient in English language arts in 2023, down one percentage point from last year.
“We need to do something different,” said Joan Mele-McCarthy, a state board member who represents Calvert County and who emphasized that she was not celebrating the results. “I hate to sound this way, but I’m a little frustrated.”Share this articleNo subscription required to readShare
“You’re not going to hear any debate on that,” Choudhury replied at the board meeting. “You’re only as strong as your most struggling student. We need to up our game.”
He added that he believes that for students who are English learners and who have disabilities, there are “low expectations” that are “playing out every day in the classroom.”
“We need to challenge that premise,” he said.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/08/22/maryland-test-assessment-scores/