County Results on PARCC Tests Below State Average

Prince George’s County Public Schools has received the elementary and middle school test results for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers tests in English Language Arts and Mathematics. PARCC was administered for the first time in spring 2015.

The data provided is for students who took both the PARCC assessment in grades 3-8 during the 2014-2015 school year. Schools will send home reports for tested students on Dec. 14.

“PARCC is a new rigorous test, and with anything new there are challenges,” said Dr. Kevin M. Maxwell, chief executive officer for the school system. “There is room for growth on the PARCC assessments. A low score does not mean a child is failing to learn. This is an opportunity for growth and fine tuning instruction, and that’s exactly what we plan to accomplish.”

PARCC is Maryland’s new accountability program, replacing the Maryland School Assessment in reading and math. It is the first assessment aligned to Maryland’s College and Career Ready Standards, and sets a higher bar for student learning. Through a test that requires students to demonstrate critical thinking, problem solving, and clear writing, readiness for more challenging academic work for elementary and middle school students is measured in English and math.

The assessment indicates how close a student is to meeting the new standards, and results are categorized into one of five performance levels: Level 1: Did Not Yet Meet Expectation; Level 2: Partially Met Expectations; Level 3: Approached Expectations; Level 4: Met Expectations; and Level 5: Exceeded Expectations. Elementary and middle school students achieving at levels 4 or 5 are considered on track for college and career.

Overall PGCPS and Maryland PARCC Performance

• About 25 percent of PGCPS students in Grades 3-8 taking the PARCC English Language Arts/Literacy Assessments last spring scored at a Level 4 and 5 combined.
• Nearly 15 percent of PGCPS elementary and middle school (Grades 3-8) students attained Level 4 and 5 combined in the mathematics assessment.
• In contrast, nearly 40 percent of Maryland students in Grades 3-8 taking the PARCC English Language Arts/Literacy Assessments last spring scored at a Level 4 and 5 combined.
• Nearly 30 percent of Maryland elementary and middle school students attained Level 4 and 5 combined in the mathematics assessment.
  

Subgroup Trends in PARCC English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics Grades 3-8

• On average, the percentage of PGCPS students in noted subgroups scoring at levels 4 and 5 combined was within 6.5 percentage points of the percentage of Maryland students in noted subgroups scoring at levels 4 and 5 combined.
• Also, substantial achievement gaps persist in PGCPS and across Maryland between White and African American students; White and Hispanic students; and African American and Hispanic students.
• Achievement gaps in PGCPS, in most cases, are smaller than achievement gaps across the state.
• For example, the Black/White achievement gap in PGCPS is 24.6% and 22.8% for ELA and Math, respectively, but 29.7% and 29.4% in Maryland overall.
• The White/Hispanic achievement gap in PGCPS is 30.9% and 24.8% (ELA and Math) and 28.0% and 26.3% in Maryland overall.
• The Black/Hispanic achievement gap in PGCPS is 1.7% and 2.0% (ELA and Math) and 6.3% and 3.1% in Maryland overall.

For more information on the new PARCC assessments, visit the Maryland State Department of Education’s website.