How Milford MCAS Scores Changed Amid Pandemic School Year

MILFORD, MA — Results from the spring MCAS exams show "many more students had gaps in their knowledge of math and, to a lesser extent, English language arts" 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 reported Tuesday.

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, the most recent previous year the test was given after the exams were skipped in 2020 amid the sudden pivot to remote learning.

In math, the percentage fell from 49 percent in 2019 to 33 percent in 2021, while for the English language arts test, it dropped from 52 percent in 2019 to 46 percent in 2021. The percentage of 10th graders scoring at least in the "meeting expectations" category ticked upwards to 64 percent this year, from 61 percent in 2019. The amount of 10th grade students reaching that level on their math tests fell, however, dropping to 52 percent from 59 percent.

In Milford, results were mixed across grade levels and subjects. Here's a sample of students exceeding expectations across high school, middle school and elementary school

You can see Milford's 2021 MCAS scores here compared to the pre-pandemic tests in 2019.

The state allowed districts to skip MCAS tests in 2020. The standardized tests are typically are taken in the spring.

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

More Patch Coverage: MCAS Results Show Slide In Massachusetts Scores During Pandemic