ROCKVILLE, Md. (7News) — Maryland students are making progress in math, but the latest state test results show gains remain slow — particularly compared with performance in English language arts.
The latest Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program, or MCAP, results show 27.1% of students statewide were proficient in math, an increase of just 0.6 percentage points from the previous year.
The Baltimore Banner, which analyzed the results, reported that math proficiency continues to trail English language arts. Elementary and middle school students also remain below their 2018 math proficiency levels.
Montgomery County students continued to outperform the statewide average.
Montgomery County Public Schools reported that 35.7% of students were proficient in math last year. That increased to 36.9% this year.
The Baltimore Banner characterized the improvement as modest, with some grades making more progress than others.
MCPS is now changing how it approaches elementary math instruction.
Beginning this fall, the district is introducing cluster grouping for fourth graders, placing students with similar learning needs together for part of the school day.
MCPS is also rolling out the Amplify Desmos Math curriculum, which emphasizes conceptual understanding, problem-solving and computational skills.
The new approach to cluster grouping was discussed during a recent MCPS work session.
“It’s not every component, every day, somebody’s doing something different. It’s not two different classes in the same room. and those are some of the strategies and practice that our coaches and the Amplify Desmos coaches are going to need to help teachers with as they are taking on this new approach,” said Sheila Berlinger, supervisor of elementary mathematics.
Prince George’s County continues to lag behind both Montgomery County and the statewide average.
About one in seven students in Prince George’s County were proficient in math, with countywide results remaining essentially stagnant from the previous year.
Improving math and literacy outcomes is a key part of the Prince George’s County Public Schools’ new strategic plan, which includes more targeted support for students.
The latest MCAP results also come as Maryland prepares to replace the assessment for students in grades three through eight.
This will be the final year those students take MCAP before Maryland introduces MSTAR, a shorter assessment, next school year.
The state is also requiring schools to provide at least 60 minutes of math instruction each day for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. That requirement takes effect beginning with the 2027-28 school year.
The changes come as Maryland and local school systems work to improve math performance and reverse learning losses that have persisted since before the pandemic.
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