Cecil County reports mixed MCAP results; leaders point to literacy, special-education trends and new interventions

Cecil County Public Schools officials presented the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) results for 2025 to the Board of Education on Oct. 8, saying most grade bands showed year-over-year growth but noting persistent gaps for students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students.

School system staff told the board the assessments, required under federal law, are designed to measure how students are meeting the Maryland College and Career Readiness Standards.

“The Elementary and Secondary Education Act ... was reauthorized in 2015 and it's called now this Every Student Succeeds Act,” Doctor Jenny Hammer said during the presentation, explaining the federal basis for statewide testing and accountability.

District officials emphasized the data are complex and require follow-up. Doctor Hammer said 11 of the 14 tested grade-content areas for English language arts and math showed growth from 2024 to 2025, and staff outlined several near-term steps to use assessments as one part of an instructional improvement plan.

Doctor Foy, who led the mathematics portion of the presentation, stressed how the current test format mixes advanced reading-comprehension demands with mathematics reasoning. “This is as much of a literacy exercise as it…