Students Show Progress on PARCC Tests

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) released local school system and school-level data today for PARCC, Maryland’s school assessments in English/Language Arts and mathematics. Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) closed its gap with the state average and showed steady growth in most subjects and grades.

“We continue to move in the right direction, with improvement in overall scores and instruction. We are focused on classroom instruction and test scores are one indicator we use to make adjustments to our curriculum and to meeting the needs of all of our students,” Superintendent Kimberly Hill said.

CCPS students showed significant improvement in Algebra I at the middle school level and Algebra II in high school.  Algebra II scores increased to 47.6 percent, and 17.6 percent above state average.

“We made some nice strides and improvements. The results provide us with information to help us improve classroom instruction. PARCC scores are just one of many indicators we use to meet the needs of our students and prepare our students to reach college and career readiness goals,” Deputy Superintendent Amy Hollstein said.

According to MSDE, for students in grades 3 through 8, achieving level 4 or 5 indicates their readiness for coursework in English/Language Arts and math at the next grade, with the goal of preparing students to enter college or a career upon graduation. High school students taking Algebra I and English II are required to reach a certain proficiency level as a high school graduation requirement.

County scores, elementary schools

Mathematics: Overall, students in grades 3-5 scored 36.5 percent at levels 4 and 5, up from 36.1 percent in 2016. Fifth-grade students scored 31.2 percent at levels 4 and 5; fourth-grade students scored 36 percent at levels 4 and 5; and third-grade students scored 42.2 percent at levels 4 and 5.

English/Language Arts: Overall, students in grades 3-5 scored 42.1 percent at levels 4 and 5, up from 37.4 percent in 2016. Fifth-grade students scored 46.1 percent at levels 4 and 5; fourth-grade students scored 41.3 percent at levels 4 and 5; and third-grade students scored 38.8 percent at levels 4 and 5.

County scores, middle schools

Mathematics: Overall, 34.4 percent of middle school students scored a combined score of 4 and 5 on the mathematics assessment, up from 30.78 in 2016. Students in eighth grade taking the mathematics assessment scored 12.9 percent at levels 4 and 5; students in seventh grade scored 27.2 percent at levels 4 and 5; and students in sixth grade scored 26 percent at levels 4 and 5. Middle school students taking the PARCC Algebra I assessment scored 71.58 percent at levels 4 and 5, up from 51.5 percent in 2016.

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