MCPS Middle School Geometry Proficiency – Test Score Data By School Over Time And Analysis

Executive Summary

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) requires standardized tests to measure proficiency in math. Data for MCPS Middle School Geometry scores in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021 were analyzed to answer 3 questions:

  1. What is the percent of proficient students at each middle school by year?
  2. What is the change in the percent of proficient students at each middle school in 2021?
  3. Which clusters have the largest change in the percent of proficient students in 2021?

An average of 88.3% MCPS students demonstrated proficiency between 2017 and 2019, with 88.4% demonstrating proficiency in 2019. However, there was a dramatic decrease in 2021 with only 25.9% of students achieving proficiency. The average decrease in proficiency was 62.4% The Magruder and Sherwood clusters showed some of the largest declines, as all of their feeder schools had over 74% decreases in proficiency.

Middle school Geometry students are honors students taking accelerated math courses. They are on a course path to take college level AP calculus and/or statistics in 11th and 12th grades.

Background and Source Data

The MSDE defines the test scores that are considered to indicate proficiency. The MSDE provides data for standardized test results for all Maryland public school districts. Data are presented by year, subject, school district, individual school, and demographic groups.

Sources for MSDE data are:

  1. 2021: Excel format  2021 data  
  2. 2017-2019: Excel format 2017-2019 data download
  3. 2017-2019: searchable format by individual school 2017-2019 searchable data

The MSDE data have a few considerations. Asterisks, <5%, or >95% are sometimes provided in the data. It appears this may be due to preserving anonymity of students in cases of small numbers. PARCC tests were administered from 2015 to 2019, but they appear to be referred to as MCAP in some of the MSDE data. No testing was done in 2020. A shortened version of the MCAP test that replaced PARCC was administered in Fall 2021.

Results and Conclusions

Percent Proficiency of Students by Year

The percent of students with scores in the proficient range were compared by individual school and by year.

Table 1. Percent proficient students in Middle School Geometry by school and year. Percent of proficient students is indicated by green (75 to 100%), yellow (50 to <75%), orange (25 to <50%), red (0 to <25%), and gray (fewer that 5% tested/reported, *, or blank in state data).

2017

The average proficiency in Geometry throughout MCPS middle schools (38 of 40 reported data) was 85.4%.

  • 27 of the 38 schools (71%) had at least 75% of students reach proficiency.
  • 9 schools (23%) had 50 to 75% of student reach proficiency.
  • 2 schools (5%) had 25 to 50% of students reach proficiency.
  • 0 (0%) schools had fewer than 25% proficient students.

12 schools (32%) reported over 95% proficiency. The lowest proficiency rate was 39.2% at Newport Mill Middle.

2018

The average proficiency in Geometry throughout MCPS middle schools (36 of 40 reported data) improved to 91.2%.  

  • 30 of the 36 schools (83%) had 75 to 100% of students demonstrating proficiency.
  • 5 schools (14%) had 50 to 75% of students demonstrating proficiency.
  • 1 school (3%) had 25 to 50% of students demonstrating proficiency.
  • 0 schools (0%) had fewer than 25% of students demonstrating proficiency.

13 schools (36%) reported over 95% proficiency. Francis Scott Key showed the lowest proficiency rate (47.4%).

2019

The average proficiency in Geometry throughout MCPS middle schools (38 of 40 reported data) was 88.4%.

  • 33 schools (87%) had 75 to 100% of students demonstrating proficiency.
  • 2 schools (5%) had 50 to 75% of students demonstrating proficiency.
  • 2 schools (5%) had 25 to 50% of students demonstrating proficiency.
  • 1 school (3%) had fewer than 25% of students demonstrating proficiency.

11 schools (29%) reported over 95% proficiency. A. Mario Loiederman had the lowest proficiency rate (23.7%).

2021

Geometry proficiency decreased greatly in 2021.

No school (0%) reached 50% proficiency, while 6 schools (16%) had fewer than 10% proficiency. The average proficiency in Geometry in the 38 schools that reported data was 25.9%, less than a third of the proficiency in the previous 2 years.

  • 0 schools (0%) had 75 to 100% of students demonstrating proficiency.
  • 0 schools (0%) had 50 to 75% of students demonstrating proficiency.
  • 15 schools (39%) had 25 to 50% of students demonstrating proficiency.
  • 23 schools (61%) had fewer than 25% of students demonstrating proficiency.

North Bethesda Middle had the highest proficiency rate at 49.4% (compared to 95% in 2019). Briggs Chaney had the lowest proficiency rate at 5.6% (compared to 77.6% in 2019).

Changes in Percent Proficiency by Year

2017 to 2019:  Average proficiency at each school was calculated for 2017 to 2019.

Table 2. Average percent proficient students in Middle School Geometry between 2017 and 2019. Percent of proficient students is indicated by green (75 to 100%) and yellow (50 to <75%).

Between 2017 – 2019

MCPS middle schools showed an average proficiency rate or 88.3% in Geometry

  • 31 of 40 schools (78%) had at least 75% of students demonstrating proficiency.
    • 6 of these schools (15%) had over 95% proficiency.
  • 9 of 40 schools (23%) had between 50 and 75% proficiency.

2017 to 2021

The average proficiency between 2017 and 2019 was compared with 2021 rates. The decrease in the percent proficiency from the average in 2017-2019 to 2021 was calculated for each school.

Table 3. Change in percent proficiency in Middle School Geometry between the average of 2017-2019 and 2021. Light red indicates a decrease between 40 and <50%. Dark red indicates a decrease of 50% or more.

All schools showed a dramatic decrease in proficiency

There was a 62.4% average decrease across the 38 schools reporting data in 2021. Decreases ranged from the best – 44.6% fewer proficient students at Francis Scott Key Middle to the worst – 82.2% fewer proficient students at Shady Grove Middle.

  • 8 schools (21%) had decreases between 44.6 and 50%.
  • 20 schools (53%) had decreases between 50 and 75%.
  • 10 schools (26%) had decreases of 70% or more.

Proficiency by Cluster

The decrease in proficiency between the average of 2017-2019 and 2021 was analyzed by high school cluster.

Table 4.  Change in percent proficiency in Middle School Geometry between the average of 2017-2019 and 2021 by high school cluster. Light red indicates a decrease between 40 and <50%. Dark red indicates a decrease of 50% or more. Dark yellow highlight indicates clusters with a 70% or more decrease in proficient students. Light yellow highlight indicates a decrease of less than 50% in proficient students. Cluster and receiver school designations were found on the MCPS website, Schools at a Glance.

Cluster Analysis

The 10 schools with the largest decrease in proficiency (over 70%) included 2 middle schools feeding to Magruder High (all of its feeder schools) and 2 middle schools feeding to Sherwood High (all of its feeder schools). There were also 2 of NEC’s 4 feeder schools, 1 DCC feeder school, and 1 middle school each for the Damascus, Walter Johnson, Clarksburg, and Quince Orchard high school clusters.

The 8 schools with the smallest decrease in proficiency (under 50%) included 2 middle schools feeding to NEC, 2 feeding to Seneca Valley, and 1 middle school each for the Watkins Mill, Northwest, Poolesville, Gaithersburg, and Walter Johnson clusters.

Other Testing Pieces

MCPS Middle School Algebra 1 Proficiency – Test Score Data By School Over Time