By NEIL ZOLOT

NORTH READING — “The 2022 MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) test showed mixed results compared to 2021 scores,” Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Sean Killeen told the School Committee at their meeting Monday night. “Math scores increased, improved or leveled; English Language Arts scores declined slightly, with the expectation of grade 8 and Science scores increased slightly or leveled.”

Killeen added, “When we compare results to pre-pandemic levels, we still have some work and gaps to address to fully recover and understand the impact of unfinished learning,” which is also referred to as “learning loss.”

Killeen’s report calls for the School Department to focus on improvement related to low writing scores and early literacy because the number of students receiving a score of 0 in writing increased from 19% in 2019 to 31% in 2022 and the average points earned fell 25% in grades 3-5 and 13% in grades 6-8. “A full year was less than a traditional experience, which affected each student and family differently,” he said.

Last year was the first year the full MCAS was given to students in grades 3-8 since 2019. In 2022, sophomores had not taken an MCAS test since 2019, when they were in the seventh grade.

Nevertheless, grade 5 scores met or exceeded expectations, with a ranking in the Top 10 in Math, Science and ELA “relative to other schools that serve similar grades.” The Middle School grade 8 ELA was in the Top 10 and the High School has a 98% graduation rate, leading Killeen to feel that “we’re trending in the right direction.”

Killeen is hopeful that the 2022 and 2023 results will serve as a new baseline for later years that will return to pre-pandemic levels. “We’ll try to use the data with the right perspective,” he said. “We were sensitive to school being different and had to go slower.”

NEW LETTER GRADE SYSTEM

In other developments, Killeen also unveiled a new grading system for grades 1-5, with letters replacing the 4-1 numbers but not with the traditional A-F levels. Rather M, P, B and N will be used to signify “Meeting” grade-level proficiency, “Progressing” toward proficiency, “Beginning” to demonstrate basic understanding of concepts and skills, and “Not yet” demonstrating grade-level standards.

This bears some similarity to the MCAS scoring levels of Advanced, Proficient, Needs Improvement, and Warning/ACCESS (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners) scoring levels of Reaching, Bridging, Expanding, Developing, Emerging and Entering.

As for students performing at above proficiency or the traditional “A” level, he said the question for the School Department is “if they can do things, how do we challenge them at a higher level?”

Traditional letter grading will continue at the Middle and High Schools.