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Howard County PARCC Test Results Exceed State Norms

September 27th, 2016

Howard County public school students continue to perform at levels that significantly outpace their peers across Maryland, as reflected in scores on the 2016 PARCC assessments released today by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). Overall scores in nearly every category showed measureable improvement over the prior year.

The PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) assessment is aligned to the Maryland College and Career Ready Standards. Introduced during the 2014–2015 school year, the tests measure learning to high standards and emphasize the need for students to demonstrate critical thinking, problem solving and clear writing skills. PARCC assessments were designed to more accurately determine if students are on track to graduate high school prepared to succeed in college and careers without remediation.

PARCC uses a five-point score scale. Students performing at levels 4 and 5 are considered on track for college and career readiness.

“PARCC scores provide valuable insight into student growth over time, and help teachers and parents monitor and support academic achievement,” said Superintendent Renee A. Foose. “The steady improvement in our students’ scores underscores our progress in preparing students for lifelong success.”

Testing at the elementary and middle school levels includes English/language arts (ELA) and mathematics. In this second year of PARCC testing, ELA results held steady for Grades 3–5 with 54 percent of students achieving at levels 4 and 5 combined, 14.9 percentage points above the state average of 39.1 percent.

At 53.5 percent, ELA results for Grades 6–8 outpaced the state average by 15.1 percentage points, and showed improvement of 3.7 percentage points over 2015 results.

In mathematics, 57.2 percent of HCPSS elementary students performed at levels 4 and 5 combined, a rise of 7.1 percentage points above scores last year and outpacing the 39.3 percent Maryland average by nearly 18 percentage points.

Middle school mathematics scores also showed significant improvement, with 50.7 percent of students achieving or exceeding college readiness targets, compared to 45.9 percent last year. Middle school grade level math scores are not comparable at the state level, because a large proportion of students begin advanced level mathematics in these grades, and course sequence practices vary widely among school systems.

Test results at the high school level show HCPSS students making rapid gains in mathematics and ELA achievement, and continuing to outpace their Maryland peers. Participation in PARCC Algebra I and English 10 tests are required to meet Maryland graduation requirements.

On the Algebra I assessment, 56.7 percent of HCPSS students achieved at levels 4 and 5 combined, an improvement of 10.8 percentage points over last year, and 21.1 percentage points above the state average.

On the English 10 assessment, 58.8 percent of HCPSS are at levels 4 and 5 combined, an increase by 13.6 percentage points over the prior year, and exceeding the Maryland average by 14.4 percentage points.

HCPSS educators use PARCC scoring to assess student progress, along with other indicators such as reading benchmarks in elementary grades, MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) in middle school, and SAT and Advanced Placement scores and participation in high school. PARCC score reports provide specific feedback on areas where students need additional support or challenge.

PARCC tests are also unique in that they evaluate real world skills that are essential to career and college readiness, such as solving problems and constructing effective written responses, which are not assessed through most other formal measures.

The full results are available at http://reportcard.msde.maryland.gov.