Aug. 27, 2024 – Results from the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) for the 2023-2024 school year show slight increases in English Language Arts (ELA) and math scores statewide.
The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) released the full results today during the State Board of Education meeting.
Student proficiency this year shows continued progress in reversing learning loss since the pandemic. An estimated 48.4% of students demonstrated proficiency in ELA, up from 47.9% in the 2022-2023 school year. Math proficiency was 24.1%, down from 23.3% last school year.
“It's clear that we must urgently accelerate progress for students across Maryland,” he said. Dr. Cary M. Wright, State Superintendent of Public Instruction“This isn't just about proficiency rates on statewide assessments. Achieving our goal of ensuring all students are college, career and life ready requires a comprehensive approach.”
“Now more than ever, it's important that we focus on the core work of schools.” Dr. Joshua Michael, Chairman of the State Board of Education“We need to get back to basics: ensuring students are ready to learn every day, engaging families as true partners, and supporting teachers to deliver effective instruction every day. With strong leadership from MSDE, full implementation of the Blueprint, and strengthened partnerships with local school districts, I expect to see great progress in the future.”
The 2023-2024 school year will mark the third full administration of ELA and math assessments, following abbreviated testing in the 2021-2022 school year. No assessments were administered in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other highlights from the 2023-2024 assessment:
- Most student groups roughly maintained their ELA proficiency levels over the past year. Most student groups, except Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and Multilingual students, saw increases in ELA proficiency of 0.6 to 1.7 percentage points, while Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and Multilingual students saw slight declines.
- No group of students experienced a decline in mathematics performance.
- Achievement gaps remain between student groups in both English and mathematics. Multilingual students, economically disadvantaged students and students with disabilities perform less well than the overall student population.
In January, the state board set an ambitious goal for Maryland to be among the top 10 states for literacy education by 2027. MSDE also launched a four-year, $6.85 million philanthropic partnership with the nonprofit Ibis Group to improve literacy outcomes across the state.
MSDE will continue to partner with local school systems to provide additional student supports, high-quality instructional materials, ongoing professional learning, and data-driven academic interventions. MSDE is facilitating professional learning on reading science for all educators across the state, hosting math learning labs, and assisting school systems with data analysis and review.
Earlier this year, Dr. Wright established a task force to examine the state's assessment and accountability system to improve transparency and better link school assessments to student achievement. The Assessment and Accountability Task Force is scheduled to deliver its report at the end of 2024.
State ELA and math assessments are administered annually in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school. ESSA also requires statewide science assessments each grade level (grades 3 through 5, grades 6 through 8, and once in high school).
MCAP assessments measure mastery of Maryland content standards to ensure all students are making progress and receiving the necessary resources for remedial learning and reinforcement. MCAP assessments have four student performance levels: Beginning Learner, Developing Learner, Proficient Learner, and Exceptional Learner. Exceptional Learners and Proficient Learners are both considered Exceptional Learners.
State, school system and school-level data will be published on the Maryland Report Card website in early September.