MCAS results: Students have not bounced back academically since pandemic

“These results are concerning. They are concerning as we continue to combat pandemic-related learning loss.” Acting Commissioner Russell Johnston said Tuesday.

Students are yet to recover academically from pandemic-era learning loss, state officials said, according to newly released state testing results from this spring.

The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education heard an analysis of the results of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System results, also known as the MCAS, during a meeting Tuesday.

The results show a general decline or little change in all subjects, according to the testing of third through eighth graders and 10th graders. The 10th graders must pass the MCAS to receive their diplomas — a requirement that faces a ballot question to remove it this November.

Testing in the spring of this year showed lower achievements in all grades in English language arts compared to last year, little change in math scores, and mixed results in science, technology, and engineering, or STE, testing. The results show that students are drifting further from scores achieved in 2019.

“These results are concerning. They are concerning as we continue to combat pandemic-related learning loss,” Acting Commissioner Russell Johnston told the board. “While we have been operating with a sense of urgency, these results fortify our responsibility, our deep responsibility, to accelerate our work.”

MCAS scores are classified as not meeting expectations, partially meeting expectations, meeting expectations, and exceeding expectations. When comparing results, officials group meeting expectations and exceed expectations into one group, which are reflected in the graphs below.

English learners saw slide across elementary and high school grades

Across third through eighth grades, English language arts scores for students who were meeting or exceeding expectations were three percentage points behind 2023’s results. That’s still 13 percentage points behind 2019’s results, which officials use as standard pre-pandemic achievement.

Grade 8 and Grade 10 results saw the smallest slide, which officials determined to be not significantly significant.

High schoolers scored the closest to pre-pandemic results. The 10th graders had the highest percentage of learners meeting or exceeding expectations with 57 percent, closing in behind 2019’s results by just four percentage points.

All student groups, which includes racial groups, students with disabilities, and English learners, saw similar declines to overall results and wide gaps from 2019’s results.

The state noted that third through fifth graders, which saw a 2 to 6 percentage point decrease this year, were in preschool through first grade when the pandemic hit.

“Change in education is a process, not an event,” Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler said in a statement. “As the MCAS results show today, the road back from the pandemic is not short.”

Math saw outlier achievement, overall flat

Math results generally stayed the same for elementary school students, except with noted higher achievement in third graders’ test results. Forty-four percent of test takers met or exceeded expectations, which was three percentage points higher than 2023.

While sixth and seventh graders were only one percentage point below 2023’s results, officials pointed out a concerning trend. Those grades are seeing a widening gap compared pre-pandemic learning. While the one percentage point drop isn’t statistically significant, the gap between 2019 and 2024 is still more than 10 percentage points.

High schoolers meeting or exceeding expectations in math dropped from 50% last year to 48% this year, which was the only major decrease in math performance across all grades.

Results by student group like race was also mostly static.

Science scores generally improved

The STE results saw significantly higher achievement in scores for fifth graders and 10th graders, officials said at the meeting. Fifth grade students are four percentage points from 2019’s results, while eighth graders still lagged.

They lost two percentage points, dropping to 39% of students meeting or exceeding expectations. That’s seven points away from 2019’s results.

The Grade 10 test was new in 2022, so pre-pandemic results can’t be compared for high schoolers.