MCPS: Schools show consistent performance in 2023-2024 MCAP results

The 2023-2024 MCAP results reflect consistent performance among MCPS students, with improvements in eight of 14 assessments compared to the previous year.

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) reported that “students once again outperformed the state average on the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP), particularly in English and reading (ELA/L) and mathematics in elementary and middle school.” MCAP assessments measure student performance in academic standards and complex skills such as critical thinking, persuasive writing, and problem solving.

The Maryland Department of Education has released the 2023-2024 Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) results for English/Literacy (ELA/L) and Mathematics (Math). These results were presented to the State Board of Education on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, and provide insight into how Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) students performed compared to the previous year. Key findings:

Elementary school: MCPS students continue to make progress in English, Spanish and math, with proficiency rates fluctuating slightly from last year.

• ELA/L grades 3-5: MCPS students outperformed their peers across the state. Specifically, 54.9% of 3rd grade students were proficient, a decrease of 2.7 percentage points from 2022-2023. For 4th and 5th grade students, proficiency rates were 55.9% and 52.0%, respectively, a decrease of 1.7 points and an increase of 1.5 points.
• Math grades 3-5: Likewise, MCPS students outperformed the state average in math. In 3rd grade, 50.4% of students scored at the required level, a decrease of 3.2 percentage points from the previous year. 43.1% of 4th grade students and 40.8% of 5th grade students scored at the required level, the latter representing an increase of 0.9 points.

Middle School: Middle school students showed modest progress in English/English and mathematics, with larger gains in some grades.

• ELA/L grades 6-8: Proficiency rates in middle school English classes showed a significant improvement in grade 7, where proficiency increased by 1.2 percentage points. In grade 6, there was an increase of 0.9 points, while grade 8 remained unchanged.
• Math grades 6-8: Middle school students showed slight improvements in mathematics skills. Proficiency rates increased by 1.3 and 2.7 points in mathematics 6 and 7, respectively, and decreased by 0.2 percentage points in mathematics 8.

Secondary school: Among high school students, there was a significant improvement in English/English language skills, while knowledge of Algebra 1 remained relatively stable.

• ELA/L10: High school students saw a significant improvement in ELA/L 10 proficiency, with 61% achieving proficiency, an increase of 5.9 points over 2022-2023.
• Algebra 1: The performance rates of middle and high school students taking the Algebra 1 exam were 42.5% and 5.4%, respectively, an increase of 4.5 and 0.9 percentage points, respectively, from the previous year.

Performance gaps and demographic characteristics of students:

• Inequalities: Achievement rates across different student demographic groups revealed persistent achievement gaps and areas of focus, with Asian students consistently outperforming other groups.
• Students on the threshold: A significant number of students were close to achieving the required level of proficiency, suggesting potential for improvement through targeted intervention. Among Hispanic/Latino students, the number and percentage of students achieving the minimum score ranged from 3.6-7.0%.