Waltham's MCAS Results Slid During Pandemic

Waltham MA

21 September, 2021

5:26 PM

Description

WALTHAM, MA — Newly released results from the spring MCAS exams show more Waltham students failing to meet expectations compared to their peers in the same grades who took the standardized tests before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said Tuesday. The percentage of students receiving a score of "meeting expectations" or higher in math and English each dropped from 2019, the most recent previous year the test was given after the exams were skipped in 2020 amid the sudden pivot to remote learning. The largest drop-off in Waltham was in 4th-grade math. The percentage of 4th graders who met or exceeded expectations was 28 percent, down from 56 in 2019. In math, the percentage of third through eighth grade students meeting or exceeding expectations fell from 47 percent in 2019 to 30 percent in 2021, while for the English language arts test, it dropped from 52 percent in 2019 to 42 percent in 2021. Read more: MCAS Results Show Slide In Scores During Pandemic There was a similar decline on the science tests, with 30 percent of fifth and eighth grade students meeting or beating expectations, versus 43 percent in 2019. There was also a drop for 10th graders in math, with the percentage at least meeting expectations falling from 45 to 40 percent. Only the 10th grade English language arts results showed an improvement, with 50 percent of students at least meeting expectations compared to 46 percent in 2019. While teachers unions and some advocates have called for pausing use of the MCAS tests or eliminating their use as a graduation requirement, Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday said he would be "very aggressive about supporting the ongoing process of using diagnostic tools to ensure that kids are getting the basic education that they're entitled to." Families will receive their child's MCAS scores after Sept. 30, the education department said. The 2021 tests for third through eighth grades were shorter than usual, a factor the department said can cause individual student performance to vary. Materials from State House News Service were used in this report.