Peabody MCAS: Younger Students Lose Ground During Pandemic Year

Peabody MA

21 September, 2021

2:37 PM

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PEABODY, MA — Peabody student scores from the MCAS were mostly in line with results from across the state that showed while older students maintained relatively stable results from 2019, especially in English, younger students slipped in math and science during remote and hybrid learning. The percentage of students in third through eighth grade receiving a score of "meeting expectations" or higher in math and English each dropped from 2019 statewide, according to Department of Elementary and Secondary Education results released on Tuesday. The most recent previous year the test was given was 2019 after the exams were skipped in 2020 amid the sudden pivot to remote learning. "While we take caution in making judgments regarding this data without context, it is important to use this information to inform decisions moving forward," Peabody Superintendent of Schools Josh Vadala told Patch on Tuesday. "All data tells a story and much of this year's MCAS results tell the story of learning loss during the pandemic. "Much of Peabody's MCAS data mirrors the data from across the commonwealth. There are several bright spots in our schools and classrooms, particularly in the area of English Language Arts. Similar to the statewide assessment results, Peabody saw a significant impact in the areas of mathematics and science/technology." Peabody results showed 58 percent of 10th-grade students exceeded or met expectations in English and 44 percent did so in math. That is an increase of 6 percent in English and a decrease of 4 percent in math. The results were not as encouraging in younger grades where students in grades 3 through 8 showed 37 percent met or exceeded expectations in English and 27 percent did in math. That is a decrease of 7 and 14 percent, respectively. There was a similar drop in science scores for fifth and eighth grade where 42 percent of eighth-graders exceeded or met expectations (an 8 percent decline) and 32 percent of fifth-graders made the grade (a 10 percent decline). "It is interesting to note that younger grades seemed to be impacted more than older grades," Vadala said. "For example, grade 3 mathematics data was a concern statewide. This could be attributed to the fact that last year's third-graders missed almost one-third of their second-grade year and had fragmented learning models for much of grade 3. "Younger students generally struggle to access online learning and benefit greatly from the support of their teachers and other school staff." Statewide results showed the percentage of math proficiency for third- through eighth-graders fell from 49 percent in 2019 to 33 percent in 2021, while English dropped from 52 to 46. In high school, the percentage of 10th-graders who met or exceeded expectations was up from 61 to 64 percent in 2021, while the math grade dropped from 52 to 50 percent. Vadala indicated some of the slippages were expected given the extraordinary circumstances and those learning gaps are expected to narrow with students back to five days of in-classroom learning from the start of this school year. "The silver lining is that our students are exactly where they need to be this year," he said. "They are in front of teachers full time and the district is doing everything we can to keep kids in school. These results show us that teachers matter and our students need to be with their teachers every day. "There is a great deal of work that needs to be done to address the gaps in learning from the pandemic. Our staff and our students are ready for the challenge and are committed to putting the supports in place to accelerate learning across the district." Did you find this article useful? Invite a friend to subscribe to Patch. (Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.) More Patch Coverage: MCAS Results Show Slide In Massachusetts Scores During Pandemic