Woburn 2022 MCAS Scores: English Scores Slide, Some Math Scores Improve

WOBURN, MA — State 2022 MCAS scores last week dealt the Woburn Public Schools a mixed bag in terms of results, showing English scores falling across grade levels as some math scores improved in younger grades.

Statewide, English Language Arts scores fell while math scores increased in third through eighth grade for 2022 testing compared to 2021. Math scores dipped slightly in tenth grade.

In Woburn, the rate of third through eighth grade students meeting or exceeding expectations in English fell five percent between 2021 and 2022. Math rates rose by five percent as science rates climbed nine percent.

The tenth grade meeting/exceeding expectations rate for English dipped seven percent. Tenth grade math scores also fell, with the meeting/exceeding expectations rate decreasing five percent between 2021 and 2022.

Tenth grade science test scores this year were not comparable to previous years as the state rolled out a new “next generation” MCAS test for tenth graders for the first time in 2022.

2022 was the first year of full MCAS testing since 2019. The state canceled testing in 2020 due to COVID-19. Though officials brought tests back for 2021, tests in grades three through eight ran as "half tests."

Data from 2021 still showed sharp drops in student scores as classes navigated the impacts of remote learning and an array of other issues related to COVID-19. Despite math and science gains this year, 2022 state metrics remained below pre-pandemic figures from 2019.

At the local level, where Woburn saw some scores decrease, 2022 data did mark a milestone for the city’s fifth and eighth grade science MCAS results, tying the 2019 meeting/exceeding expectations rate of 49%.

Other scores remained below 2019 comparisons, following state trends.

State officials last week acknowledged lingering impacts of lost learning during COVID-19 on students.

Among comments, State Education Secretary James Peyser said on Thursday that the results “show that it may take a few years for students to recover academically from the COVID-19 pandemic."

State Sen. Jason Lewis issued a joint statement with Committee on Education co-chair and State Rep. Alice Peisch.

“We applaud the hard work and dedication of faculty and staff at Massachusetts schools who remain committed to providing the best possible education to our children,” Lewis and Peisch wrote. “Despite their best efforts, it is clear that the public health crisis has negatively impacted student learning and mental health since March 2020.”

Lewis and Peisch said their committee will hold an informational hearing later this year to hear testimony on both the extent of interrupted learning and next steps to address student needs.

“The legislature will utilize the critical data and information gathered by the Education Committee to inform future policy decisions on where we go from here to ensure that our students are well served as we come out of the pandemic,” the pair continued.

Debate has continued about the place of the MCAS and standardized testing in general in school accountability systems.

Earlier this year, though, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted to increase minimum MCAS scores required to graduate high school.

That move came during a meeting at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education headquarters in Malden, prompting protests and opposition from groups concerned about student stress, an increased focus on test prep and an incomplete picture of school and student success in test score data.

Amid opposition, State Education Commissioner Jeff Riley argued for the tighter MCAS graduation standards in filings with the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, saying research had shown students who score at or near the current passing threshold were not prepared for success at the postsecondary level.

New MCAS graduation requirements are set to take effect for the high school class of 2026.

See Woburn’s 2022 MCAS data here.