Dorchester County Public Schools students in Grades 3 through 6 and Grade 10 now exceed pre-Covid levels of English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency, according to test results released by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) last week.
Scores from the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) administered during Spring 2023 showed that 32% of Dorchester County students in Grades 3 through 8 scored proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA), an increase of 4.1 percentage points over last year, exceeding the state’s average growth of 2.9 percentage points. Thirty-five percent of Dorchester County’s 10th graders demonstrated proficiency.
Mathematics assessments showed continued growth over last year’s results in every year group except 6th grade, with an average increase of 2.0 percentage points. The county’s proficiency in Grades 3 through 8 was 14%; it was 25% for the state as a whole. Algebra I proficiency was 7%.
Science scores, reflecting assessments in Grades 5 and 8, largely aligned with state trends. Fifth grade students showed growth, as did 22 out of 24 Local Education Agencies (LEA), with a 2023 score of 23.5% proficiency while 8th graders showed a decline to 19.1%, as did 23 out of 24 LEAs.
Superintendent Dave Bromwell stated, “DCPS understands that success does not happen overnight. We are on a journey to improve student achievement. While we saw some progress this year, we still have a long way to go to reach our destination. We are analyzing the school level data to determine what additional supports we can put in place to address student needs and what other resources schools need to serve our students and families. Our journey continues to our destination of all students being college and career ready.”