The Maryland Reporter recently highlighted new state test results under the headline of “modest gains” in student proficiency. And that’s exactly the problem—our education leaders are patting themselves on the back for modest gains when the system is clearly broken.
Let’s look at the numbers. Barely 51% of students are considered proficient in English language arts. In math, a paltry 26.5% of students met the standard. That means nearly three out of four Maryland students can’t do math at grade level. And in English—where supposedly we’re doing better—half of our students still aren’t proficient. Since when is “halfway there” something to celebrate? [1]
State Superintendent Carey Wright credits her “science of reading” curriculum for language arts gains, pointing to Mississippi’s improvements when she ran that system. Fine. But let’s be honest: proficiency is not excellence. Proficiency means adequate, and Maryland parents don’t send their children to school to be merely adequate. [2]
Achievement Gaps Papered Over
Even more troubling are the deep racial and demographic disparities that persist. While Asian students scored 62% proficiency in eighth-grade science, Black and Latino students were down at 17%. That’s not an achievement gap—it’s an achievement canyon. [3]
Multilingual students and children with disabilities didn’t even reach double-digit proficiency in most categories, except in English. And yet, board members and state officials repeat the same lines about “progress” and “important work still to be done.” How many years in a row can they issue the same statement while the numbers barely budge? [4]
Leadership Congratulates Itself
Worcester County and Howard County were highlighted as bright spots, but these are exceptions driven by strong local leadership and continuity, not the result of any statewide magic formula. Worcester in particular has had decades of stable leadership, and the results speak for themselves. [5]
It is galling that our education establishment treats a two- or three-point bump in scores as proof of success, while children remain functionally behind. Families don’t live by percentages—they live by whether their kids can read a book without struggling, write a coherent essay, or calculate a tip at a restaurant. The scoreboard in Annapolis says “progress.” The scoreboard in real life says otherwise.
Systemic Failures and Missed Opportunities
Meanwhile, lawmakers in Annapolis missed an opportunity to actually accelerate improvement by refusing to fund a much-needed coaching program that would have provided teachers with hands-on support. Advocates rightly warned that without this investment, we’ll keep seeing the same sluggish “trend” instead of dramatic improvement. [6]
And what is the excuse this time? Budget priorities. The General Assembly has no problem pouring billions into pet projects and administrative overhead, but when it comes to directly helping kids learn to read and do math, suddenly there isn’t enough money.
Mediocrity Is Not a Victory
Maryland loves to tout itself as a “progressive” leader in education. Yet the numbers expose the uncomfortable truth: our children are not excelling, they are barely scraping by. The fact that policymakers and bureaucrats are congratulating themselves over proficiency rates that hover just above 50% should alarm every parent, teacher, and taxpayer.
Excellence is not supposed to be rare. Excellence should be the expectation. Instead, Maryland’s system defines “success” as keeping half the students afloat and leaving the rest behind.
Time for Accountability, Not Excuses
Board members are right to ask why “the same set of folks are still underperforming.” But asking the question is not enough. We need accountability for results, not endless plans and pilot programs. We need funding directed to classrooms and teachers, not more bureaucracy. And we need policymakers who set a higher bar than simply saying “we’re making progress.”
Maryland students deserve better than half-measures. They deserve better than mediocrity dressed up as momentum. Until we stop applauding proficiency and start demanding excellence, our children—and our state—will continue to fall behind.
Endnotes
- William J. Ford, Maryland Reporter, “Maryland students show modest gains in math, English, but gaps remain,” August 2025.
- Ibid., Superintendent Carey Wright remarks on “science of reading” curriculum.
- Ibid., Eighth-grade science proficiency breakdown by demographics.
- Ibid., Board member Alverne “Chet” Chesterfield and Nick Greer comments on underperformance.
- Ibid., Worcester County leadership continuity and test performance.
- Ibid., Trish Brennan-Gac, Maryland READS, on missed funding for reading coaches.
Carol Hughes is a contributor for Direct Line News. She can be reached at Carol.Hughes@mcgopclub.com
Direct Line News is a Maryland-based free-access publication committed to the Republican reform tradition.
About The Author
