Press Room
PARCC Scores Show Schools Are Underfunded
Today, the Maryland State Department of Education released Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test results for the 2016-2017 school year.
Maryland State Education Association President Betty Weller released the following statement:
“This year’s PARCC scores are a reflection of the fact that our schools are underfunded. When you have class sizes of more than 30 kids to a teacher, when you have high teacher turnover rates because we underpay educators, and when you don’t address the non-academic barriers to learning in our communities of high poverty, you see achievement gaps persist.
“It’s not enough to talk about test scores—kids are never going to test their way out of poverty. We need more funding in our public schools to meet the needs of every child, and until then you’re going to keep seeing the same results.
“Unfortunately, Gov. Hogan has no plan whatsoever to give our schools the support they really need—in fact, he’s made cuts to our schools several times as governor. That’s why educators are working with leadership in the state legislature and other education experts to put together a comprehensive increase in education funding in the years ahead.”
Consultants hired by the Maryland State Department of Education have concluded that Maryland public schools would need $2.9 billion more in funding to ensure every student is ready for college or a career.