MCPS Students Continue Strong Performance on Maryland School Assessments (MSA)

July 10, 2012

Elementary and middle school students in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) continue to perform at high levels on the Maryland School Assessments (MSA) in reading and mathematics and are outperforming their peers across the state at all levels. The results of the 2012 MSAs were released by the Maryland State Department of Education on Tuesday (July 10).

MCPS students in grades 3-8 showed improvement in mathematics, with 89.7 percent of elementary school students scoring proficient or higher on the math MSA, up one percentage point from 2011. In middle school, 81.2 percent of students scored proficient or higher on the math MSA, up 1.6 percentage points. At the state level, the proficiency rate was 87.7 percent in elementary school and 76.2 percent in middle school.

Reading performance on the MSA was stable, with 91.7 percent of elementary school students and 88.9 percent of middle school students scoring proficient or higher. In 2011, 91.8 percent of elementary school students and 89.8 percent of middle school students scored proficient or higher on the MSA in reading. At the state level, the proficiency rate was 88.2 percent in elementary school and 82.1 percent in middle school.

“Clearly, our students are performing well on state assessments in reading and mathematics, which is one indication of the high-quality education they are receiving,” said Superintendent Joshua P. Starr. “The performance of our students is a reflection of the excellent work of our staff and strong community support for our schools.”

District and school results can be found on the Maryland Report Card website.

Student performance on the mathematics MSA improved among all racial subgroups. For instance, the percentage of African American students scoring proficient or higher on math MSA was 80.2 percent in elementary grades (up 1.7 percentage points from 2011) and 67.1 percent in middle grades (up 2.5 percentage points from 2011). Hispanic students showed similar gains, with 82.9 percent of elementary grades students and 67.7 percent of middle grades students scoring proficient or higher, up 1.2 and 1.4 percentage points, respectively. Gains were also seen among students who receive free and reduced-price meals, are English language learners or receive special education services.

Reading performance remained steady among racial subgroups in elementary grades. There were slight drops in performance among racial subgroups in middle grades, with the percentage of African American and Hispanic students scoring proficient or higher falling by more than one point in each subgroup.

While overall, MCPS students performed well on the MSA, Dr. Starr emphasized that there are persistent gaps in performance among students of different races and those receiving services.

“We must use the MSA results, and other data, to inform meaningful conversations about how we improve teaching and learning for all students, in all areas,” Dr. Starr said.

Changes to Accountability

In May, the U.S. Department of Education granted the state of Maryland a waiver from certain parts of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). This year’s MSA data will serve as a starting point for a revised accountability system that replaces the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) formula that has been used since 2001. Specific school and district accountability information has not been released at this time. (For more information on the new accountability system, visit the Maryland State Department of Education website.)

Dr. Starr reiterated his concerns that even under the new accountability plan, there is still too much emphasis on standardized test scores.

“If we are serious about wanting to improve education for all students, we must develop more accurate ways of measuring the quality of instruction and the engagement of students,” he said. “If we continue to base our education reform efforts on standardized tests, we are doing a tremendous disservice to our students, teachers and our entire public school system.”

Advanced Performance

MCPS students continue to significantly outperform the state in the percentage of students scoring at the highest levels of the MSA:

- In elementary grades, about 45.4 percent of MCPS students scored in the advanced range in mathematics, and 44 percent in reading. At the state level, 40.3 percent scored in the advanced range in mathematics and 36.4 percent in reading.
- In middle school, about 39 percent of MCPS students scored in the advanced range in mathematics, and 55.8 percent in reading. At the state level, 31.8 percent scored in the advanced range in mathematics and 43.9 percent in reading.
- Compared with 2011 results, the percentage of African American and Hispanic students scoring in the advanced range rose in all elementary grades tested (3-5) in both math and reading. For instance, in grade 5, the percentage of Hispanic students scoring in the advanced range rose 4.4 percentage points, to 19.9 percent. For African American students, the percentage scoring in the advanced range rose 3.2 percentage points, to 17.8 percent.
- While the achievement gap in advanced performance narrowed at most grade levels, the gap remains significant in both academic areas.

Students Receiving Services

Students receiving services such as free and reduced-price meals (FARMS), English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and special education services showed strong improvement in mathematics at both the elementary and middle school levels.

For instance, 76.2 percent of elementary grades ESOL students and 50.3 percent of middle grades ESOL students scored proficient or higher on the math MSA, up 1.8 and 2.6 percentage points, respectively. Similar gains were seen among students receiving FARMS. Special education students also saw increased performance, although the gains were less robust.

Reading performance among students receiving services held steady in elementary grades, but showed a slight decline in middle school.

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