Howard County Schools Outperform Statewide Peers on MSA

July 23rd, 2013

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) released the 2013 reading and mathematics Maryland School Assessment (MSA) results today. Howard County public school students continue to achieve at high levels on the MSA, as compared to their counterparts across Maryland.

In reading, 93.9 percent of elementary students scored at the proficient or advanced level, compared to 86.4 percent statewide. The percentage of elementary students scoring proficient or advanced in mathematics was 92.0 for Howard, versus 83.9 for Maryland as a whole.

For middle school, the percentage scoring proficient or advanced in reading was 91.6 percent this year, versus 83.4 percent for the state. In mathematics, 84.2 percent of Howard students scored proficient or advanced, as compared to 72.2 percent for Maryland.

Scores for most students, both overall and in reported student groups, are somewhat lower than those reported in recent years. This drop, while relatively modest in Howard County as compared to other districts across the state, reflects recent changes in both curriculum and testing populations.

Curriculum based on the Common Core State Standards has been phased into instruction over the last two years, with full implementation scheduled for this year. The new curriculum raises the level of rigor for all students, and shows great promise for better preparing students for success in higher education and careers.

However, the MSA has not yet been replaced with new assessments tied to the new curriculum. The new tests are still in development and will not be in place until the 2014-2015 school year. Thus, the old MSA tests are still in use and include some concepts that the new curriculum does not cover. This disconnect is most evident in math, because the new curriculum addresses fewer topics, albeit in greater depth, each year.

In addition, until last year, many students receiving special education services had been given a modified version of the assessment, the Mod-MSA. The Mod-MSA was discontinued last year, so scores for those students are now included in the general MSA test population.

Full details on the MSA performance at both the district and school level are available at www.mdreportcard.org.