December 8th, 2015 by WCBC Radio
Data released Tuesday for Maryland’s new elementary and middle school assessments set a new baseline that will help to gauge whether students are on track for the next grade. The data was presented to the Maryland State Board of Education this morning and will be presented at the December Work Session of the Allegany County Board of Education.
In ACPS, more than 30% of students in grades 3-8 taking the PARCC English Language Arts/Literacy Assessments last spring scored at a Level 4 and 5 combined – the two highest levels on the PARCC five-point score scale. Nearly 30% of elementary and middle school students attained Level 4 and 5 combined in the mathematics assessment. For students in grades 3 through 8, achieving Level 4 or 5 indicates readiness for coursework in English and math at the next grade level, with the goal of preparing students to enter college or careers upon graduation. The scores required to meet these thresholds were determined over the summer by Maryland educators and their peers around the country.
According to ACPS Superintendent of Schools, Dr. David Cox, “These initial PARCC results serve as a baseline measure for our improvement efforts. I want to recognize and thank our teachers, principals and instructional personnel who continue to work diligently to support effective student learning every day for every student in this new curriculum and assessment system”.
Test results show some variations between grades. Fourth grade English scores were the best, with 37.2% of students scoring a 4 or 5, while 6th grade scores were the lowest, with 26.6% of students scoring a 4 or 5. Test results also varied in mathematics, where 32.2% of 3rd graders scored 4 or 5 in mathematics, but just 17% of 8th graders scored a 4 or 5. Only 375 students took the eighth grade mathematics PARCC since the rest of the students took the PARCC Algebra I where 57.3 percent of students scored at a 4 or 5.
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