Math scores show decline
Other areas improve on PARCC tests
English/language arts test scores may be up but the data is not so promising in math as student performance on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, show a sharp decline in Algebra I from 34.8% proficiency last year to 23.3% in 2019 for Charles County Public Schools.
Like those across the state, PARCC math scores dropped this year due to “a
math teacher shortage” in the county that “continues to make filling math vacancies a challenge,” according to school system superintendent Kimberly Hill’s updated report which she presented during last week’s school board meeting.
Although the school system is looking ways to improve math instruction, such as piloting a virtual middle school math class, Hill said it is not where it wants to be.
“It’s not to defend the county, but we have to acknowledge that this is not just our problem. It is a state problem,” board vice chairwoman Latina “Tina” Wilson said during the Sept. 10 meeting. “But I think we need to be very careful and figure out what really is going on here because several of the state board members admitted [at their recent meeting held Aug. 27] that they don’t know what the contributing factors are.”
Deputy schools superintendent Amy Hollstein, along with testing coordinator Karen Peters, spoke to the Maryland Independent on Sept. 13 about the test results, after meeting with school principals on Sept. 11 and spending half a day analyzing math scores.
“For math, we were really hoping we would not follow the state trend and instead, increase,” said Hollstein. “The content folks have also been spending a lot of time, since we received the scores, really analyzing and looking to see where we need to make improvements. Our students are making progress as far as moving from level to level. But what we’re seeing in terms of having difficulty is moving students from level 3 to level 4.”
“We’re having, as everyone [across the state] is, a difficult time finding certified math and science teachers,” Hollstein continued. “That has been one of the contributing factors because although folks have a degree, they’re working on their certification.”
The state assessments are measured on a performance scale of 1 to 5, with 1 representing the lowest level of proficiency and 5 representing scores that exceed state expectations. Performance levels 4 and 5 are generally added together to determine the percentage of students who are meeting or exceeding expectations.
Overall, results for mathematics varied by test but declined statewide because of decreases “in the percent of students scoring at a performance level of 4 or 5,” forcing the Maryland State Department of Education to place a greater emphasis on improving math instruction, according to a school system press release.
“At the high school level, there’s a little bit of a disconnect because if students earn a level 3 proficiency, then they meet their graduation requirement. But in order to receive a proficient score in the reporting of PARCC, they have to earn a 4 or 5,” Hollstein said. “The area that we need to focus on and do the most work in is modeling and reasoning. Our students are making progress as far as computation goes but we need to put more emphasis on helping kids be able to explain their answers.”
“The high school dilemma has been there for awhile,” Peters added. “Kids know they only have to get a 3 to graduate so they’re not motivated to go back and score higher for a 4 or 5 on the PARCC.”
Since the first PARCC assessments in 2015, according to the press release, student performance in Charles County has improved significantly in English/language arts. The biggest gains have come in seventh grade which posted a 15.2 percentage point improvement and 10th grade with an 18.3 point increase. Scores for 10th grade English/language arts increased five percentage points this year, rising to nearly 50%.
Hollstein and Peters said English/language arts scores in fourth grade at Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary School, which is a Title I school, increased from 32.1% to 59.7%. Fourth grade math scores for Mudd students also rose significantly from 14.1% to 46%. Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary, another Title I school, went up six percentage points in fifth grade English/language arts as well as eight points in third grade math, increasing from 53.7% to 61.3% in the latter.
Theodore G. Davis Middle School students had a 100% pass rate in Algebra I for the third consecutive year, including an increase from 17.3% to 30.5% in eighth grade math. Algebra I scores increased by 11.3 percentage points at Benjamin Stoddert Middle School, rising to 84%, according to the press release.
Most students take Algebra I in high school, but advanced students may take it in eighth grade, resulting in the middle school Algebra I scores.
“We still have work to do. Eighth grade math is an area that we need to focus on. We need all schools to show that increase,” Hollstein emphasized. “We really have to think outside of the box right now with this teacher shortage. So, we are piloting a virtual teacher at Milton Somers Middle this year . ... There will be a longterm sub in the classroom who has taught math before and then, the students will be on laptops and get 60 minutes of direct instruction from a certified math teacher.”
On the high school level, highlights of the 2018-19 PARCC results for Charles County include an increase of 25.9 percentage points, from 38.8% to 64.7%, compared to last year for 10th grade English/ language arts at Westlake. Henry E. Lackey 10th-graders nearly doubled their reading scores from 23.6% to 43.8%, according to Hollstein and Peters.
“Just looking at Westlake’s profile, we did a great job moving students from 1s to 2s, 2s to 3s and 3s to 4s,” said Hollstein. “The only thing that the state shows are students scoring at a 4 or 5. But we look at each school level to make sure that even if the student didn’t get to a 4, did they make growth. We’re very pleased with those results.”
Beginning this school year, students will be assessed under the new Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program, also known as MCAP, which focuses on the same academic content standards in English/ language arts and math, but with fresh items developed by state educators. These assessments are designed to provide students, parents and teachers with an understanding of student progress toward graduation and workforce readiness, according to a school system press release.
Hollstein said the score improvements are “still not good enough” as the main objective is “to be above the state average.”
“For the last two years with [English/language arts], we have put additional support in both the elementary and middle schools. We actually hired a certified reading interventionist in all the middle schools so it makes sense that our data would show an increase,” Hollstein said. “And, we have revised all the curriculum for literacy at the high school level. Once we get this firmly in place, the next phase will be to look at putting additional math resources in. We’re proud of these scores but we still have work to do.”