Chelmsford's MCAS Results Slid During Pandemic

CHELMSFORD, MA — Newly released results from the spring MCAS exams show more Chelmsford students failing to meet expectations compared to their peers in the same grades who took the standardized tests before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said Tuesday.

The percentage of students receiving a score of "meeting expectations" or higher in math and English each dropped from 2019, the most recent previous year the test was given after the exams were skipped in 2020 amid the sudden pivot to remote learning.

The largest drop-off in Chelmsford was in 5th-grade math. The percentage of 5th graders who met or exceeded expectations was 30 percent, down from 61 in 2019.

In math, the percentage of third through eighth grade students meeting or exceeding expectations fell from 63 percent in 2019 to 42 percent in 2021, while for the English language arts test, it dropped from 68 percent in 2019 to 61 percent in 2021.

Read more: MCAS Results Show Slide In Scores During Pandemic

There was a similar decline on the science tests, with 53 percent of fifth and eighth grade students meeting or beating expectations, versus 65 percent in 2019.

There was also a drop for 10th graders in math, with the percentage at least meeting expectations falling from 80 to 70 percent.

Several grades showed an improvement in certain areas, including 3rd grade and 10th grade English language arts.

While teachers unions and some advocates have called for pausing use of the MCAS tests or eliminating their use as a graduation requirement, Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday said he would be "very aggressive about supporting the ongoing process of using diagnostic tools to ensure that kids are getting the basic education that they're entitled to."

Families will receive their child's MCAS scores after Sept. 30, the education department said.

The 2021 tests for third through eighth grades were shorter than usual, a factor the department said can cause individual student performance to vary.

Materials from State House News Service were used in this report.