Math & reading standards and testing in Maryland
Updated June 2026
Maryland's College and Career-Ready Standards are based on the Common Core State Standards. Students in grades 3-8 (plus high school) take the MCAP each spring in ELA and math.
Does Maryland hold kids back in 3rd grade for reading?
No. Maryland has no statewide test-based 3rd-grade retention gate; promotion is local.
Standards
Maryland College and Career-Ready Standards
Aligned to the Common Core State Standards, so grade-level skills match what most of the country teaches.
The key test
The Maryland state test
MCAP covers both math and reading in grades 3-8, 10.
Reading the results
Spring.
Four levels: Beginning, Developing, Proficient, Distinguished Learner.
On grade level means Proficient or Distinguished Learner on MCAP ELA.
What's distinctive about Maryland
MCAP grew out of the former PARCC consortium and keeps a four-level Learner achievement scale.
Practice the skills, by grade
Whatever Maryland calls its test, the underlying math and reading skills are grade-level. Practice them directly:
Practice the skills behind the test
Maryland teaches the Common Core standards. What a third grader has to do does not change: multiply, find the main idea, read a paragraph and say what it meant. KangarooKiddo drills those skills in daily sessions of a handful of questions that end on their own. You see where your kid actually stands, they earn rewards you set up and approve.
Source: Maryland Department of Education. Verified for the 2025-26 school year; policies can change, so confirm with your school.