Maryland MCAP scores rising in mathematics, English language arts

BALTIMORE, MD—Student scores on the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) for the 2024-2025 school year are continuing to rise, showing progress in English language arts and mathematics as students rebound from learning loss experienced during the pandemic. The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) released the full results Tuesday, showing a steady overall gain of 5.5 percentage points since the […]

Maryland schools welcome students back as new year begins

BALTIMORE, MD—Nearly 890,000 students across Maryland are heading back to classrooms as the 2025-26 school year officially began on Wednesday, August 20 with Frederick and St. Mary’s counties being the first to open their doors. The remaining 22 school systems will follow in phases through September 2nd. The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is focusing on three key areas […]

Maryland students improve on national math, reading tests

BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland student achievement scores on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) showed modest improvement in mathematics and continued progress in reading. The Nation’s Report Card, a congressionally mandated biennial assessment, measures student achievement in fourth and eighth-grade reading and math nationwide. While Maryland’s scores have declined over the past decade, this year’s results show some stabilization. Reading […]

Maryland assessment scores hold steady in mathematics, English language arts

BALTIMORE, MD—The Maryland State Department of Education on Tuesday released results from state assessments, revealing that proficiency in math and reading skills remained steady in 2023-2024. According to the results, approximately 48.4% of students in the state showed proficiency in English language arts, up from 47.9% in 2022-2023. The proficiency rate for math was 24.1%, up from 23.3% the previous […]

Maryland State Board of Education calls for adoption of Science of Reading-based literacy instruction statewide

BALTIMORE, MD—This week, the Maryland State Board of Education called for the statewide adoption and implementation of literacy instruction based on the Science of Reading starting with the 2024-25 academic year. Under the State Board resolution (24-01), Dr. Carey Wright, Interim State Superintendent of Schools, will present the board with a comprehensive literacy policy aligned to the Science of Reading […]

NOW YOU KNOW: Year-end highlights – part 2

The following is a legislative update from Delegates Kathy Szeliga and Ryan Nawrocki. As we prepare for a new year filled with resolutions and growth, we took some time to review the highlights of what has taken place between the 2023 and upcoming 2024 legislative sessions. Once we return to Baltimore County after Sine Die, the work does not end. […]

MSDE: 2023 MCAP results showing improvement

BALTIMORE, MD—Student proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ELA) in School Year 2022-2023 are at their highest in nearly a decade with the largest single-year gain in grades 3-8 over the same time period. Statewide results (PDF) of the latest Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) assessments show notable improvements in literacy and mathematics, with literacy results surpassing pre-pandemic performance. Student […]

NOW YOU KNOW: Baltimore test scores debacle

The following is an op-ed piece from Delegates Kathy Szeliga and Ryan Nawrocki. In January 2023, student data was published on The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) website reporting on the 2021-2022 school year’s MCAP standardized testing. The data revealed that 23 Baltimore City Schools had zero students proficient in math and that other jurisdictions had abysmal results as […]