Salem MCAS: Younger Students Lose Ground During Pandemic Year

SALEM, MA — Salem student scores from the MCAS were mostly in line with results from across the state that showed while older students maintained relatively stable results from 2019, especially in English, younger students slipped in math and science during remote and hybrid learning.

The percentage of students in third through eighth grade receiving a score of "meeting expectations" or higher in math and English each dropped from 2019 statewide, according to Department of Elementary and Secondary Education results released on Tuesday. The most recent previous year the test was given was 2019 after the exams were skipped in 2020 amid the sudden pivot to remote learning.

"The MCAS data provides Salem Public School educators and our families with important diagnostic information on areas where students progressed and where additional support is necessary," Salem Superintendent Steve Zrike said in a statement to families Tuesday night. "Please know that the tests given this spring were shorter than usual and the results might vary as compared to prior year performance. Families should also remember that the MCAS is only one indicator of student and school success."

Families will receive results on Sept. 30.

Salem results showed 48 percent of 10th-grade students exceeded or met expectations in English and 29 percent did so in math. That is an increase of 1 percent in English and a decrease of 14 percent in math.

The results were less encouraging in younger grades where students in grades 3 through 8 showed 34 percent met or exceeded expectations in English and 16 percent did in math. That is a decrease of 7 and 18 percent, respectively.

There was a similar drop in science scores for fifth and eighth grade where 27 percent of eighth-graders exceeded or met expectations (a 7 percent decline) and 31 percent of fifth-graders made the grade (a 14 percent decline).

"As expected, Salem, like many districts across the state, saw a decline in performance given the interrupted learning that students experienced over the last 18 months," Zrike said. "Given the wide variation in participation rates, the unconventional conditions under which the MCAS was administered, and district teaching and learning approaches, DESE has cautioned us not to make comparisons across districts or across schools within the same district.

"Due to the impact of the pandemic, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education also chose not to issue updated district and school accountability ratings this fall."

Statewide results showed the percentage of math proficiency for third- through eighth-graders fell from 49 percent in 2019 to 33 percent in 2021, while English dropped from 52 to 46.

In high school, the percentage of 10th-graders who met or exceeded expectations was up from 61 to 64 percent in 2021, while the math grade dropped from 52 to 50 percent.

Zrike late last week issued a district-wide plan for identifying and narrowing any learning gaps from the pandemic and accelerating learning this school year now that students are back in the classroom with teachers five days per week.

"We know that the remote and hybrid experience presented was challenging conditions for students to learn complex concepts and material virtually during the last two abbreviated school years," Zrike said. "Now that all our students are back full-time for daily in-person learning, we are prepared to respond in a systematic and thoughtful way to address identified gaps, while at the same time taking great care not to overwhelm them."

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)

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