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Date: 10/18/2022
EASTHAMPTON – With the help of an improved curriculum, Easthampton’s MCAS scores have seen a significant increase.
At Oct. 11’s School Committee meeting, Curriculum Director Julie Levin spoke to the committee at its virtual meeting. She said that 2022 had seen the first complete return to the MCAS tests since before the coronavirus pandemic. The test was suspended in 2020 and an abbreviated version was used in 2021. Levin said that the test is an important method to see where students are in need in comparison to the rest of the state and country.
“It’s not the best method, but it is useful for us in improving what we do,” said Levin.
Levin added that the test is not used for issues such as chronic absenteeism or improving graduation rates. Levin said the new MCAS standards released by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education means that the district won’t be comparing the results to past years.
“We’re excited about this fresh start,” she said.
Overall, the district saw significant improvements. As an example, the Center School was previously in the 10th percentile and has now risen to the 48th. Levin said that in the seven years she has been in Easthampton, this is the first time a school hasn’t been identified as needing assistance. The math curriculum has undergone recent changes, with the result that students in Easthampton are meeting the state average in MCAS scores. Science scores have shown a similar increase.
“This means teachers were putting in the work to see where those gaps were,” said Levin. “We don’t want to see one test score, we want to see the changes over time.”
Statewide, the news hasn’t been quite as good. According to a release from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, results on the 2022 MCAS were mixed, with math and science scores improving since 2021, and English language arts (ELA) scores declining. Overall results when compared to pre-COVID-19 levels show continued need for improvement.
“These results show that it may take a few years for students to recover academically from the COVID-19 pandemic. Many students need more time learning, whether it is in the form of tutoring, acceleration academies, early literacy, after school programs or summer learning,” said Education Secretary James Peyser. “We have committed approximately $130 million in federal and state funds to these efforts. We know school districts are using these funds to increase instructional time and implement other proven strategies for improving student outcomes.”
Members of the committee raised the issue of alternatives to the MCAS. Committee member Laurie Garcia has drafted letters to stop this testing, and while Levin agreed that the test isn’t perfect, it’s not possible to get this kind of assessment within the limits of the budget.
“Every state has some form of assessment,” said Superintendent Allison LeClair. “It begs the question whether there are other options to explore.”
Moving ahead, Levin said the focus will be on working with students with disabilities as well as the English Learners to see how their scores can be improved. She added that addressing disparities among all students is another area to focus on.
“I would be at a loss without MCAS as a point in my data,” she said. “Everyone is trying their best, and taking a couple of days out of the year for this benchmarking is important.”