ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Proficiency in grade-level math remains below pre-pandemic levels for students in Maryland.
The findings were revealed in the latest Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) assessments.
Students in grades 3 through 8 are evaluated annually in English and mathematics, and then once again in 10th grade.
The most recent results from Spring 2022 show only 17.6 percent of sixth grade students were proficient in math. That number is nearly three times lower (6.5%) for eighth grade math students. For Algebra I current proficiency levels sit at 14.5 percent, a drop off from 27 percent in 2019.
SEE ALSO: Maryland students to resume standardized testing in the spring
Results were more encouraging in English Language Arts.
The assessment suggests 45 percent of students in grades 3 and 4 are proficient in English, while that number decreased to 40 percent among fifth graders. That number raises to 53 percent for those in 10th grade, indicating a return to pre-pandemic outcomes for certain grade levels.
In October the National Assessment of Educational Progress found that nearly four in 10 eighth graders nationwide failed to grasp basic math concepts.
MORE: Maryland students suffered significant setbacks in reading, math during pandemic
The same study concluded that 75 percent of eighth grade students and 69 percent of fourth grade students in Maryland are at or below basic achievement in mathematics.
