The results of Maryland’s PARCC exams — the controversial tests that were introduced in 2015 — show math scores dipping or remaining flat, while scores on the English tests showed some improvement.
As members of the Maryland State Board of Education went over the results of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career exams Tuesday morning, they commented on the charts that showed lagging math scores.
Dara Shaw, director of research for the state Department of Education, told board members that though there were some “modest gains in the early elementary grades,” there were “statistically significant decreases across the board” for students in grades 5 through 8.
The results on the Algebra I exams showed a drop of 5 percentage points or more in the number of students scoring 4 or higher in Montgomery, Frederick, Anne Arundel, Charles and Talbot counties. Prince George’s and Baltimore counties also saw decreases of less than 5%.
See the state’s full presentation on the PARCC results.
Students are scored on a scale of 1 to 5, with 4 and 5 being considered proficient.
Board member Dr. David Steiner, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, said, “I think I’m correct in saying the research community doesn’t understand the result.”
He added, “There are lots of hypotheses I won’t bore you with. If I had one that was convincing to us at Hopkins, I would share it with you. I don’t.”
Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Karen Salmon said the state has work to do in the area of math instruction, and agreed with Steiner on the difficulty of pinpointing the cause of the decline in test scores.
“Unless we had some startling information that clarifies this trend, I think that it’s just a conundrum,” Salmon said.
The results on the English exams were more encouraging, with a gain of 2 percentage points, but fewer than half of the state’s students are achieving at or above expectations. The results released Tuesday show 43.7% of the students in grades 3 through 8 who take the PARCC English exams score in the proficient range.
This is the last year the PARCC tests will be administered in Maryland.
The tests, which proved controversial when first introduced, are going to be replaced by exams that are currently being developed in the state. Salmon said those new exams would be administered for the first time next spring.
Prince George’s County Public Schools CEO Dr. Monica Goldson said, “Our results mirror the gains and losses the state displayed last year, and will require a deeper analysis on how each school performed relative to the county and state.”
