Zero students proficient in math in 23 Baltimore schools, test results reveal

The Maryland State Department of Education recently released Baltimore students' 2022 test results, which revealed that 93% of third- through eighth-graders tested below their grade level in math, WBFF-TV reported. After analyzing the results, the local news outlet found 23 city schools where not a single student tested proficient in math.

The nearly two dozen schools with abysmal test scores included 10 high schools, eight elementary schools, three middle and high schools, and two elementary and middle schools. In total, 2,000 students at those learning institutions took the math assessment, and zero scored at grade level.

WBFF also revealed that another 20 Baltimore City Schools had just one or two students with grade-level math scores. The district comprises a total of 150 schools.

The city of Baltimore's Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program test results were the lowest in the state. Only 7% of third- through eighth-grade students scored proficient in math. In addition, less than 15% of students in four additional Maryland cities scored proficient.

"My immediate reaction is, take your kids out of these schools," said Jovani Patterson, a city resident who filed a lawsuit against Baltimore City Schools last year alleging the district failed to educate students and thereby misused taxpayer dollars.

"We, the taxpayer, are funding our own demise," Patterson told WBFF. "It just sounds like these schools, now, have turned into essentially babysitters with no accountability."

Patterson argued that city schools failed to prepare students for real-world situations.

"These kids can't do math. You're not preparing them to buy groceries. You're not preparing them to do accounting, to count their own money. You're not preparing them to read contracts and negotiate salaries," Patterson said.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D), who previously lived in Baltimore, announced last week during a State of the State address that his top priority is improving public education.

"We made the largest investment in public education by any governor in our state's history," Moore said.

Governor Moore's office did not respond to a request for comment regarding last year's test results, WBFF reported.

Baltimore City Schools told the news outlet that the district is taking steps to improve test scores by expanding professional development for teachers, implementing summer learning programs, and providing an extended learning period at the end of the school day.

"We're confident these instructional strategies will help us regain the momentum and progress we experienced before the pandemic," Baltimore City Schools said.

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