MCAS Scores In Norwood Fall In 2021 Exam

NORWOOD, MA - Newly released 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 (DESE) said Tuesday.

Norwood High School's tenth graders showed only a slight dip in English MCAS stores, with only a 3 percent decline. In math, the drop was more pronounced, with a 22 percent fall in math test scores.

Seventeen percent had marks of exceeded expectations on the English portion of the test, while 45 percent met expectations. Another 29 percent partially met expectations in English, and 10 percent did not meet expectations.

In math, the results were lower, with 8 percent of those 10th graders exceeding expectations. Thirty-four percent met expectations, and 42 percent partially met the standard. Ten percent failed to meet expectations.

Patch published an article on the statewide drop in scores over the pandemic, which can be found here. State House News Service also wrote an article on the declining scores during the pandemic. Here's the link.

Scores for sixth-graders at the Coakley Middle School in English showed an 11 percent drop in English scores in 2021 compared to 2019. There was a thirteen percent fall for those who met expectations. Percentages jumped by 14 percent for those who partially met expectations in this area, while 11 percent more students than in 2019 failed to meet expectations.