Newton's MCAS Results Show Dip In English Scores

NEWTON, MA — Newly released results from the spring 2022 MCAS exams show Newton students’ scores have increased in math and science, but dropped in English.

The district’s results echo the statewide drop in English scores, indicating that it could take years for Massachusetts students to recover from lost and disrupted learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Education Secretary James Peyser.

In Newton, the percentage of students receiving a score of "meeting expectations" or higher in English dropped in nearly every grade since 2021. However, every grade except for 10th improved in math since last year.

The largest drop-off in Newton was in 4th grade English. The percentage of 4th graders who met or exceeded expectations was 56 percent, down from 74 in 2021.

In math, the percentage of third through eighth grade students meeting or exceeding expectations rose from 60 percent in 2021 to 68 percent in 2022, while for the English language arts test, it dropped from 70 percent in 2021 to 65 percent in 2022.

Read more: MCAS Scores Dip Shows COVID-19 Learning Recovery May Take 'Years'

There was a slight improvement on science tests, with 66 percent of fifth and eighth grade students meeting or beating expectations versus 65 percent in 2021.

For 10th graders, both English and math scores got worse, with the percentage at least meeting expectations dropping from 86 to 80 percent in English and from 83 to 79 percent in math.

Grade 10 science results were not provided for 2021 because students in the class of 2023 were not required to take that test. In 2022, 80 percent of students who took the science test were proficient or better, compared to 91 percent in 2019.