Statewide test scores for African-American and low-income children rose significantly this year and are moving closer to parity with other students, according to data released today by state education officials.
The Maryland scores were buoyed by large gains in Baltimore City and Prince George's County, where there are large black and poor populations, but the trend was also seen in Anne Arundel County and other areas of the state.
For the fifth year in a row, scores improved across the state on the Maryland School Assessment, a test given in grades three through eight, as part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Last school year, 86 percent of elementary students passed the reading test and 84 percent passed the math. Howard, Carroll and Worcester counties have the highest percentage of students passing the tests: 90 percent or more in many grades and subjects. State officials said they were particularly pleased because more students statewide are not just passing the tests but are scoring in the advanced category. In fifth grade, for instance, more students statewide are scoring "advanced" in reading than those who are scored "proficient."
But the greatest improvement in Central Maryland was in Baltimore City, which had some of the largest one-year gains in test scores in the past decade, particularly in middle school.
"We are very pleased with the percentage of growth in Prince George's and Baltimore City," said state schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick. But she said there has been improvement in scores for minority and poor children in every county.
The achievement gap between minority and white students has been one of the most intractable problems in education, and it remains an issue in Maryland. African-American students today are passing tests at the same percentage as white students were five years ago.
However, the fact that the gap has been narrowing fastest in Maryland elementary schools is an indication, education officials said, that the additional money the state has poured into early education is paying off. State officials also believe that a state curriculum for many grades and subjects has helped improve teaching.
Last year, black elementary students gained nearly 8 percentage points in reading, one of the largest one-year gains for them since the test was given in 2004.
