Test scores released last month reveal that Worcester County Public Schools are outperforming systems across the state.
On Tuesday, Sept. 17, Coordinator of Research and Student Information Tom Hamill gave an in-depth presentation to the Worcester County Board of Education regarding statewide performance data on English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics assessments administered in spring 2024.
The Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) scores released by the Maryland State Department of Education showed Worcester County Public Schools at the top in both content areas.
In ELA, WCPS had the highest proficiency level of all state school systems, with 69.4% of students receiving passing marks, a three or a four, in the 2024 spring exams. This is 21 percentage points higher than the state average of 48.4%.
Hamill broke the data down even further. Fourth-grade ELA saw a 10.16% increase in passing scores from 2022, when 62.5% reached proficiency, to 2024, when that figure rose to 72.69%. Sixth-grade ELA also saw a dramatic rise from two years ago, when 60.4% of the young learners reached a three or four on the assessment, to this year, when 72.59% met grade-level standards.
While most grade levels have improved, ELA eight and ten saw a nominal decrease in scores from 2022. The former fell from 69.2% to 68.32%, while the latter dipped from 71% to 70.43%.
Hamill also notes that fifth-grade ELA remains an outlier. In Worcester County, the MCAP indicated that only 56.48% of students in grade five demonstrated proficiency. The other grade levels, however, all showed nearly 70% pass rates.
“For the most part, for ELA, we are near 70% proficiency in all but grade five,” he said. “You’ll see that fifth grade is a statewide, maybe national, concern.”