MCAS scores measure upDate: 10/4/2011 Oct. 3, 2011
By Chris Maza
Reminder Assistant Editor
GREATER SPRINGFIELD — Longmeadow Public Schools posted the most impressive results in the latest round of Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) scores that were released by the Department of Education on Sept. 15.
As a whole, 84 percent of Longmeadow students scored “Proficient or Higher” in English language arts (ELA) and 72 percent received those marks in math. The state averaged 69 percent of students in the same range in ELA, while 58 percent received those scores in math testing.
The district’s total Composite Performance Index (CPI) was 94.5 in ELA and 89.1 in math.
“When we look at our district’s performance in a [kindergarten] through [grade] 12 system, we always focus on the high school scores to see the end result,” Longmeadow School Superintendent Marie Doyle said. “Our high school scores are very strong and we are pleased with student performance.”
Longmeadow High School students who took the test in the spring scored “Proficient or Higher” at a clip well above the state’s cumulative average. Ninety-three percent of 10th graders fell into this category in ELA, while in math and science and technology/engineering, the district had 90 percent and 88 percent of students scoring “Proficient or Higher,” respectively.
That marks an impressive 21 percent edge over the rest of the state in proficiency in science and technology/engineering, a 16 percent gap between Longmeadow and the state in math and a nine-point advantage in ELA scoring.
What’s more, no more than 3 percent of the high school’s population scored in the “Warning/Failing” category in any subject. Three percent of students were deemed failing in math as well as science and technology/engineering, while only 2 percent fell in that range in ELA.
“Needs Improvement” marks in the high school were also very low at 10 percent in science and technology, compared to the state’s 27 percent rate, a 7 percent rate in math, versus to the state’s 18 percent, and 4 percent in ELA, while the state average 12 percent.
Doyle said the administration was still working on deciphering all of the test results to determine district’s strengths.
“We’re currently delving into the data to find out where we are strong and what we still need to stress,” Doyle said. “We will have more information that we will present to the School Committee in the next couple of weeks.”
Both the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District (HWRSD) and East Longmeadow Public Schools trailed Longmeadow, but remained comparable to each other.
As a district, 79 percent of HWRSD students tested “Proficient or Higher,” with a CPI of 92.4 while 65 percent of students scored in that range in math with a CPI of 85.
Seventy five percent of students in East Longmeadow were deemed proficient or better in ELA, posting a CPI of 91.4 and 59 percent of students received passing marks in math with an 82.3 CPI score.
All of these scores were vastly superior to neighboring Springfield, which boasted 41 percent proficiency in ELA and 27 percent proficiency in math.
HWRSD Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Timothy Connor pointed to ELA as one area in which his district has been “extremely strong.”
As a district, HWRSD’s percentage of passing scores was 10 points higher than the state average.
Every grade level, with the exception of fourth grade, posted rates of 78 percent of higher in that scoring category.
Grade 4 lagged behind in ELA with only 47 percent of students showing proficiency and 45 percent of students falling into the “Needs Improvement” column.
Comparably speaking, 59 percent of East Longmeadow fourth graders performed at a proficient level in ELA, while 66 percent of Longmeadow students were in that range. Springfield students passed the subject at a rate of 28 percent.
Connor also said that when looking at MCAS results and data, it is important to take a broader perspective when reaching conclusions about what it means.
“Looking at more than one year’s results is important,” he said. “We look at three- to five-year trends.”
Looking back at results for the past three years shows that ELA scores in the district have been trending upward in the higher grades. Ninety percent of 10th-grade students scored “Advanced or Proficient” in 2009 and after taking a dip to 88 percent in 2010, the district recovered, posting a rate of 92 percent this year.
The percentage of eighth-grade students scoring in the “Advanced” range has increased dramatically from 16 percent in 2009 to 25 percent in 2011.
However, some of the numbers have dropped elsewhere. Seventh grade’s “Proficient or Higher” rate dropped six points from last year from 87 to 81 percent. Fourth grade students’ “Advanced” scores also dropped six points in a year from 11 to 5 percent, while the “Proficient or Higher” rate dropped from 69 to 47 percent, a 12-point difference.
East Longmeadow Superintendent Gordon Smith said he is pleased with the progress his district has made, but more work needs to be done.
“It’s nice to see that in ELA we are performing at a very high level and in math at a high level,” he said. “We’ve had some subgroups struggle to make growth and that is something we are going to continue to be conscious of.”
While proficiency rates in both ELA and math were above state averages, the percentage of students performing in the “Advanced” range we 15 percent and 20 percent, respectively, below the state averages of 17 percent and 24 percent.
Twenty-six percent of Long-meadow students were considered advanced in ELA, while 21 percent of HWRSD students placed in that category.
Math students scored “Advanced” at a 31 percent rate in Longmeadow and 25 percent of students fell into that column in HWRSD.
Smith said it was important not only to look at the data for a specific grade from year to year for comparison, but to follow the scores of different graduating classes from year to year.
He pointed to his district’s steady advancement in test scores as students approached high school as a positive for the district.
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