skip to main content

HCPSS / NEWS

PARCC Test Results Set New Baseline for Measuring Student Progress

December 8th, 2015

Results of the state’s first annual PARCC assessments for Grades 3–8 show Howard County public school students continuing to perform at levels that significantly outpace their peers across Maryland.

PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) is the first assessment aligned to Maryland’s college and career ready standards. The new tests emphasize essential skills in critical thinking, problem solving and clear writing. They are designed to assess students’ readiness for the next grade level and their academic growth over time toward graduating prepared for success in college and the workplace 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 assessments are based on more rigorous standards than the old Maryland School Assessments (MSA) in reading and math for Grades 3–8 and the High School Assessments (HSA) in English Language Arts and Algebra, so the scores cannot be meaningfully compared with test results from previous years.

Testing at the elementary and middle school levels includes English/language arts (ELA) and mathematics for Grades 3–8. The ELA results show HCPSS students on average outpacing Maryland by 13 percentage points, with 51.9 percent of students in Grades 3–8 achieving at levels 4 and 5 combined, compared to 38.9 percent for the state.

For mathematics, HCPSS students outperformed their statewide peers by more than 16 percentage points, with 45.4 percent of students in Grades 3–8 at levels 4 and 5 combined, compared to 29 percent of all test takers in Maryland.

“PARCC ushers in a new era of more advanced assessments that can be used to identify where children are and support individual student growth over time,” said Howard County Board of Education Chairman Christine O’Connor. “The new state assessments provide much more relevant and actionable data for parents when monitoring student progress and for educators to use for improving instruction.”

“These results set a new baseline in preparing students for college and careers,” said Superintendent Renee A. Foose. “PARCC provides more accurate insight on student progress at each grade, which teachers and parents can use to support students and ensure they are on track for success.”

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