Schools

How Baltimore County Fared on State Test Scores

Middle School reading a bright spot.

By Amber Woods

While Maryland Public School students fared worse on state mandated testing this year compared to scores in 2012, Baltimore County students experienced smaller declines than statewide averages.

According to 2013 Maryland School Assessment-or MSA-test scores released Tuesday by the Maryland Department of Education, Baltimore County student scores declined in elementary reading and math while middle school students saw an increase in reading performance scores.

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The percentage of Baltimore County public school elementary students scoring proficient or advanced in reading decreased 1.5 percentage points, from 90.9% to 89.4%, while math performance dropped 2.8 percentage points. Statewide performance fell by 2.4 percentage points in reading and 4.1 percentage points in math, according to a press release from Baltimore County Public Schools.

At the middle school level, reading performance increased 0.5 percentage points from 81.7% to 82.2%, while math scores decreased 2.8 percentage points from 74% to 71.2%. In comparison, statewide middle school performance improved 1.3 percentage points in reading and dropped 4.5 percentage points in math.

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While performance of BCPS subgroups decreased in reading and math at the elementary school level, progress was achieved at the middle school level. Middle school reading performance rose in all racial/ethnic subgroups with Hispanic students demonstrating the largest increase of 1.6 percentage points. Notably, middle school English language learners showed an increase of 13.1 percentage points in reading proficiency and an increase of 1 percentage point in math. Middle school students eligible for free and reduced-price meals (FARMS) also demonstrated an increase of 0.8 percentage points in reading, according to the release.

Maryland school officials are blaming the decrease in numbers on the transition from the Maryland School Assessment Test to the Common Core Standards tests; set to be implemented in the 2014-2015 school year.

Statewide, an average of just below 78.9 percent of students in grades three through eight earned a proficient score or better on the MSA math and algebra test, a roughly three-percentage drop compared to the previous year. The same group saw an average of 84 percent of students earn a proficient score or better on the MSA reading tests, a slight (two-tenths of a percentage point) drop from the previous year.

Equaling last year's results, an average of 73.6 percent of Maryland students earned a proficient or better score in the MSA science and biology test, which are tested in grades five and eight.

Scores, including those of each Baltimore County school, can be found here. 

 

 


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