Somerville's MCAS Results Show Improvement In Math Scores

SOMERVILLE, MA — Newly released results from the spring 2022 MCAS exams show Somerville students’ scores have increased in math and science and stayed the same in English.

According to Education Secretary James Peyser, a statewide drop in English scores indicate that it could take years for Massachusetts students to recover from lost and disrupted learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Somerville, the percentage of students receiving a score of "meeting expectations" or higher in English dropped in about half of the tested grades since 2021. However, every single grade improved in math since last year.

The largest drop-off in Somerville was in 4th grade English. The percentage of 4th graders who met or exceeded expectations was 38 percent, down from 49 in 2021.

In math, the percentage of third through eighth grade students meeting or exceeding expectations rose from 24 percent in 2021 to 33 percent in 2022, while for the English language arts test, it stayed the same at 41 percent.

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

There was an improvement on science tests, with 39 percent of fifth and eighth grade students meeting or beating expectations versus 34 percent in 2021.

For 10th graders, English scores stayed the same and math scores improved, with the percentage at least meeting expectations rising from 24 to 33 percent.

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, 54 percent of students who took the science test were proficient or better, compared to 68 percent in 2019.

Only the 6th and 10th grade English results stayed the same, with 38 and 41 percent of students at least meeting expectations, respectively.