Woburn MCAS Results Slid During Pandemic

WOBURN, MA — Newly released results from the spring MCAS exams show more Woburn 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 dropped over ten percent in the average test versus 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 Woburn was in fourth grade math. The percentage of fourth graders who met or exceeded expectations was 33 percent, down from 50 percent in 2019.

In math, the percentage of third through eighth grade students meeting or exceeding expectations 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.

>>MCAS Results Show Slide In Scores During Pandemic

There was a similar decline on the science tests, with 42 percent of fifth and eighth grade students meeting or beating expectations, versus 48 percent in 2019.

One group did improve on the 2019 cohort. The percentage at least meeting expectations rose from 61 percent to 64 percent in tenth grade English Language Art. The percentage fell from 59 to 52 percent in tenth grade math.

Despite the decline, Woburn students did as well as the state as a whole — and lost less ground. On the average test, 42 percent of Woburn students met or exceeded expectations, down from 50 percent in 2019.

Statewide, 42 percent of students met or exceeded expectations on the average test, down from 51 percent in 2019.

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.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.