MCAS results show Worcester students still struggling to reverse pandemic losses

WORCESTER — Results from the 2023 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test show that students in the city’s public school district, like others across the state, are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Statewide, compared to 2022, the number of students meeting or exceeding expectations in math increased by 2 percentage points in third through eighth grade, to 41%. Exactly half of all 10th graders met this target in math in 2023, the same percentage as the year before.

Students in 10th grade also remained stagnant in English language arts from last school year, with 58% of high school test-takers meeting expectation targets. There was a slight increase for elementary and middle schoolers, of whom 42% (or one percentage point higher than last year) hit this expectation mark.

In English and math, students in grades three through eight are still about 10 percentage points behind where they were in 2019, prior to learning losses from remote school and other pandemic challenges.

MCAS: See how your school district scored

While 10th graders on average didn't improve upon English scores compared to the year before, the high schoolers are closer behind 2019 scores than some younger students. In ELA, the grade 10 scores from 2023 only trail three points behind pre-pandemic levels.

“Pandemic learning loss is a national problem, but these results show signs of recovery thanks to the hard work of educators, students, families and staff,” said Education Secretary Patrick A. Tutwiler in a DESE press release. “We know there is still much to be done, and we will continue to improve and strengthen our schools until every student can access the supports and resources they need to succeed.”

Results in grades 3 through 8

In Worcester, 27% of students in third through eighth grade met or exceeded expectations in English language arts on the 2023 MCAS — the same percentage as the previous year. In 2019, the last year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 37% of students in third through eighth grade met or exceeded expectations.

In math, 24% of students in grades three through eight met or exceeded expectations, a one percentage point increase from the previous year. In 2019, 31% met or exceeded expectations.

In science, 25% of fifth through eighth grade students in Worcester met or exceeded expectations, two percentage points higher than the previous year. In 2019, 27% of fifth and eighth grade students met or exceeded expectations in science.

10th grade scores

In English language arts, 36% of 10th graders met or exceeded expectations, three percentage points lower than the previous year. In 2019, 42% of 10th graders met or exceeded expectations.

In math, 26% of high school sophomores met or exceeded expectations, a one percentage point decrease from last year. In 2019, 36% met or exceeded expectations.

For science, 22% of 10th grade students met or exceeded expectations, a two percentage point decrease from the previous year. In 2019, 58% of 10th graders finished in the top two scoring categories, which were then advanced or proficient.

English language learners

According to a press release published by the district, English language learners and students with disabilities scores “significantly behind students overall.”

For third through eighth grade, just 5% of English learners met or exceeded expectations in English language arts, and 2% of 10th graders.

In math, for third through eighth grade, 7% of English learners met or exceeded expectations in English language arts, and 2% of 10th grade students scored the same.

For students with disabilities in third through eighth grade, 4% met or exceeded expectations in English language arts, while 5% achieved the same in 10th grade. In math, 5% of students with disabilities met or exceeded expectations in third through eighth grade, while 2% scored the same in 10th grade.

The press release laid out some steps the district is taking to improve academic performance.

It mentioned, among other things, a new reading curriculum, known as Core Knowledge Language Amplify, “which is rooted in evidence-based science of reading and has a curriculum in Spanish.”

The district said it has also contracted with the American Institutes for Research to conduct an audit and provide recommendations to help improve outcomes for multilingual learning and special needs.

Additionally, the Early College Program has been expanded, allowing students in high school to take courses in conjunction with local universities for college credit.

Reasons for optimism

While MCAS scores have still not returned to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, the district saw improvements in other places.

MCAS scores are part of a larger accountability report the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education releases that also takes into account graduation rates, attendance, advanced coursework and English proficiency.

Based on these factors, according to the report, the Worcester Public Schools are classified overall as “not requiring assistance or intervention.”

The report said the district received a score of 41% for “making moderate progress toward targets.”

Additionally, the district press release said, 16 city public schools saw a 5-percentage-point increase or better in their accountability percentiles since 2019.

Accountability percentiles are an indication of how schools are performing overall compared to other schools, using data related to achievement, growth, English learner progress, chronic absenteeism, high school completion and advanced coursework completion.

The percentiles are reported between 1 and 99, with higher percentiles indicating higher-performing schools, and lower percentiles indicating lower-performing schools.

The report showed Chandler Magnet Elementary's accountability percentile as 28 this year, a 19-percentage-point increase from last year.

Lincoln Street Elementary, Lake View Elementary and Nelson Place Elementary all had 16-percentage-point increases.

Lincoln Street Elementary’s accountability percentile was 30 this year, while Lake View Elementary’s was 58 and Nelson Place Elementary was 62.

Sullivan Middle, Clark Street Community Elementary, Chandler Elementary and University Park Campus School all saw 14-percentage-point increases.

Sullivan Middle’s accountability percentile this year was 52, Clark Street Community Elementary was 19, Chandler Elementary was 26 and University Park Campus School was 52.

The district also saw the number of schools categorized as “requiring assistance or intervention” decline from 13 in 2019 to 10 in 2023, the release said.

“The accountability results are a barometer to understand areas of strength and opportunities for improvement,” said WPS Superintendent Rachel H. Monárrez in the release.

“Our priorities include placing a strong emphasis on elementary-level literacy, implementing actions to improve multilingual and special education services, and restructuring staff into ‘Quadrant Teams’ that spend more time in schools rather than district offices. We are also continuing to increase our family engagement efforts to foster greater family partnership in children’s learning.”

With reports from the State House News Service.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: MCAS results show WPS students still recovering from pandemic losses