About 43.5 percent of Hammond High students passed annual English language arts assessments in 2017 and 56.5 percent of students failed, according to a Howard County News analysis of the latest Maryland schools report card.
The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, is administered to third- through eighth-graders in Maryland, testing them in reading and math based on Common Core standards.
According to Hammond High English language scores, 24 to 25 percent met expectations and 18 to 19 percent exceeded them. Students whose results are in either category are considered ready to move on to the next level and are most prepared for college or work.
The Maryland State Department of Education did not provide exact figures for some groups of Hammond High students because those groups included less than 5 percent of students who tested in the school. The analysis includes a range where exact totals can’t be calculated.
Another 20.3 percent approached expectations, while 15.9 percent partially met expectations and 20.3 percent did not meet them. Students who scored in these categories are not ready for the next level.
The school’s results surpassed state averages. In Maryland, about 33 percent of students met expectations on the reading and writing tests and about 8 percent exceeded them, putting the percentage of students who passed at about 41 percent. The rest about 59 percent failed, with about 24 percent of students approaching expectations, about 18 percent partially meeting expectations and about 17 percent not meeting them.
