Talbot County scores show mixed results on MCAP; district stresses multiple measures and new standards

Talbot County Public Schools officials reported mixed results from the most recent Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) testing, telling the school board that overall proficiency dipped in English/language arts while showing modest gains in mathematics and small improvements in early grades.

Doctor Einhorn, the district academic presenter, said the district’s overall MCAP ELA proficiency for 2024–25 was 45.4 percent, a 1.9 percentage-point decrease from the previous year. “For all TCPS students assessed in MCAP ELA last year, 45.4 percent were proficient in English language arts,” Einhorn said. She highlighted grade-level variation: “grades 5 and 8 have seen the most significant decrease in percent proficient in ELA over the 3 years, and grades 3 and 4 have seen the greatest increase.”

Why it matters: MCAP is the state’s accountability assessment, and board members pressed for context on whether the year-to-year comparisons track cohorts or single grade snapshots. Einhorn said the state presentation compares third grade to third grade across years rather than following the same cohort, and the district also analyzes cohort growth internally: “we do, however, locally, do work looking at the cohorts of students because what we wanna see is that they are growing from year to year.”

Key details from the presentation: - ELA: The district reported a 1.9% overall decrease in student proficiency from 2024 to 2025; TCPS finished below the state average (TCPS 45.4% vs. state 50.8%). The district said it exceeded state growth in ELA grade 3 (TCPS +8.6% vs. state +2%) and in grade 4 (+6.1% vs. state +3%). - Math: TCPS reported a slight overall increase in math proficiency, with 18.9% of students proficient overall. Gains were reported in grades 4, 6 and 7; high school algebra and integrated pathways remained an area of need. - Science: Districtwide science proficiency for grades 5 and 8 combined was reported at 21.1% proficient.

District staff and board members discussed the limits of a single assessment. Einhorn reiterated: “This is one assessment given at a single period of time which does not always accurately reflect what students are able what they know and are able to do overall. That's why we look at multiple measures throughout the course of the school year to kind of triangulate.” Board members asked about how local interim assessments correlate with MCAP results; Einhorn said district staff are working to compare and “try to correlate how they ... do on those assessments to the state assessment.”

Subgroup performance and interventions: The presentation included disaggregated results. The district reported increases for its Black student group and for students identifying as two or more races in ELA, with decreases in other groups; multilingual learners and some historically underserved groups remain below targets. Einhorn described school-level action: principals and teachers analyze standards-level results, use a district data-management system and build school improvement plans and targeted interventions. She said the district has invested in early-literacy work tied to the science of reading and is training teachers in aligned interventions.

Testing and future changes: Board members raised questions about test design, length and grade-to-grade vs. cohort comparisons. The panel noted Maryland is moving to new mathematics standards and to integrated high school math courses; the district expects a new statewide assessment to align with those shifts. Einhorn referenced the state’s Assessment and Accountability Task Force and said the state is soliciting a new test via procurement.

Board members asked about parent-level reporting and whether parents can see standards- or domain-level breakdowns. Einhorn said parent reports typically break results into domain areas and offered to provide examples of the parent-facing reports and additional local growth measures.

The board did not take formal action on the results; the presentation was described as baseline data for the district’s strategic plan.

Ending: Board members requested follow-up detail on cohort tracking, subgroup interventions (particularly multilingual learners), and how new standards and assessments will affect baseline measures going forward.