County schools show modest improvement in state reading, math testing

Increases come ahead of changes to statewide testing

July 29, 2026 11:01 a.m.

Two hands grade an assignment on paper with a red pen/ — Photo credit: Getty Images

Scores for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) students in state English and math assessments increased by at least one percentage point from the 2024-2025 school year to the 2025-2026 school year – although scores show only 58.5% of MCPS students are proficient in English language arts and 36.9% are proficient in math, according to data provided by the Maryland State Department of Education on Tuesday.

“We are far from finished, but this is really encouraging progress. We see clear and steady improvement in our proficiency across the board,” MCPS Superintendent Thomas Taylor said in a Tuesday statement. “These results demonstrate clear momentum in areas like science and literacy. We are even seeing progress in critical areas of mathematics.”

The Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) is an annual test that measures the mastery of state content standards, according to the state education department. The assessment of English language arts/literacy and math skills is administered once a year to students in grades three through eight and once in a high schooler’s career. Students are also tested once a year on science in grades three through five and six through eight and once in high school, according to the state education department.

According to state data, proficiency rates for all MCPS students in all grades for English language arts has increased since the 2023-2024 school year, going from 55% of students being proficient in English language arts in 2023-2024, to 57% in 2024-2025 and 58.5% in 2025-2026.

- Advertisement -

Student proficiency rates in math also saw score increases over the past three school years, going from 33% in 2023-2024 to 35.7% in 2024-2025 and 36.9% in 2025-2026.

While fifth grade MCAP science scores saw the largest percentage point increase – a boost from 31.6% of all fifth-grade students in 2024-2025 to 40.1% in 2025-2026 – eighth grade science scores saw a slight decrease from 40.5% in 2024-2025 to 40% in 2025-2026.

Disparities in test scores among student demographics also continue to plague MCPS, with Black and Hispanic/Latino students scoring lower than their white and Asian classmates, according to state data. Students with disabilities and students who are economically disadvantaged also scored lower than their classmates without disabilities or who aren’t economically disadvantaged.

Sponsored

Sokolow Architects Leads Coastal Design for DC-Area Homeowners

Maryland Dog Bite Laws: What Victims Need to Know About Liability and Compensation

Featured Now

MCPS students who identify as Black or Hispanic/Latino as well as students of multiple races saw proficiency score increases, but scored less than white and Asian students on the English language arts and math tests and in the fifth grade and eighth grade science testing, the data showed.

Black and Latino students often saw the biggest disparities: 50.1% of Black and 36.2% of Latino students demonstrated proficiency in English language arts compared to 81.9% of white and 79.2% of Asian students.

MCPS noted in its Tuesday press release that MCPS student proficiency rates outperformed state averages in science, English language arts and math. According to average statewide data, the English language arts student proficiency in Maryland was 51.7%. State proficiency averages in math reached 27.1% and in science, 32.4% of fifth graders and 30.9% of eighth graders were proficient.

The slight increases in Montgomery County mirror statewide increases. In a Tuesday statement, the Maryland State Department of Education noted that statewide MCAP scores reached a five-year high, amid plans from the state to transition to a new state testing program. Last school year was the last time the MCAP will be administered for elementary and middle school students. The state is transitioning to Maryland System of Testing Academic Readiness (MSTAR), which will begin testing third through eighth graders during the 2026-2027 school year and high schools in 2027-2028.

No changes will occur to MCAP high school tests for the 2026-2027 school year.

- Advertisement -

According to the Tuesday statement, the MSTAR will include “shortened test length, improved precision, updated accessibility features, and enhanced online reporting for families and educators.”

MCAP testing was one of many factors that determine the state’s annual report card and star ratings for school districts and individual schools. There are other tests that assess skills such as reading, including Measures of Academic Progress-Reading.

For MCAP testing, students are placed into four categories based on their scores: level 1, beginning learner; level 2, developing learner; level 3, proficient learner; and level 4, distinguished learner. Students who fall into the level 3 and 4 categories meet or exceed grade-level expectations and are proficient in the assessed content.

Digital Partners

Originally published at Bethesdamagazine