Arlington's MCAS Results Show Dip In English Scores

ARLINGTON, MA — Newly released results from the spring 2022 MCAS exams show Arlington students’ scores have increased in math and science, but dropped in English.

The district’s results echo the statewide drop in English scores, indicating that it could take years for Massachusetts students to recover from lost and disrupted learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Education Secretary James Peyser.

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

The largest drop-off in Arlington was in 5th grade English. The percentage of 5th graders who met or exceeded expectations was 60 percent, down from 69 in 2021.

In math, the percentage of third through eighth grade students meeting or exceeding expectations rose from 59 percent in 2021 to 68 percent in 2022, while for the English language arts test, it dropped from 71 percent in 2021 to 69 percent in 2022.

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

There was an improvement on science tests, with 73 percent of fifth and eighth grade students meeting or beating expectations versus 69 percent in 2021.

For 10th graders, English scores stayed the same and math scores improved, with the percentage at least meeting expectations rising from 59 to 68 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, 78 percent of students who took the science test were proficient or better, compared to 85 percent in 2019.

Only the 10th grade English results stayed the same, with 81 percent of students at least meeting expectations.