Forget It Jake, It's Baltimore

The Balmer Sun admits Baltimore’s math scores consistently trail Maryland’s.  

Disruptions to in-person learning created a severe decline in math performance across the country and state. In Baltimore, just 7% of elementary and middle school students scored proficient in math during the 2021-22 school year, the first statewide exam since the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns.

Statewide, students who scored proficient in math — a measure of students who meet grade-level standards on the state exam — plummeted to a level described by the new state superintendent as “abysmal.”

To reverse the trend, Joan Dabrowski, Baltimore’s chief academic officer, and her team launched a five-year math improvement plan in May 2023, focusing on teaching in small groups using a new curriculum.

The improvement plan’s target is for 25% of students to be proficient in math by the 2026-27 school year, nearly triple the percentage of students performing at or above grade level.

“We’ve set very ambitious goals that we want to hit,” Dabrowski said.

Whoda thunk that to actually learn math you might actually need to attend class:  About half of Baltimore City students are chronically absent. Which schools have highest, lowest rates?