MCAS snaps youths out of vacation lull
Published on April 28th, 1999
STONEHAM, M A - So much for April vacation.
Over 650 Stoneham students got a rude awakening from their week-long hiatus when an MCAS booklet was put on their desks and a pencil was put in their hands.
Year two of the MCAS began on Monday as students in the fourth, eighth and tenth grades filled out the registration material and began the daunting task of answering questions on the language arts section of the exam on Tuesday. The three grades continued throughout the week on this section and will be given a three week breather before taking on the remaining three sections (math, social studies and science/technology) in mid-May.
According to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph Connelly, the exam is still in its infancy and, while the scores may improve, a substantial jump in the numbers is not expected.
"We're still in a developmental stage and for the next three or four years, it will really be a testing period for how well we have come in line with the state mandates," Connelly explained. "A great deal of our effort this year hasn't really been over the MCAS as much as it has been on buying the textbooks and materials to bring us closer to alignment with the frameworks."
The superintendent explained that the four basic areas of education which presently compose the MCAS exam each have specific guidelines by which schools should teach their students. In order to come in line with the state's frameworks, however, the School Department has had to conduct a massive overhaul of the educational system, requiring a great deal of time, effort and money.
This process is ongoing, Connelly said, and will be for at least the next three years.
"We've certainly learned from the first administration of the test. We got a working knowledge of the types of questions that were asked and we made copies of all that to distribute to each teacher," the superintendent said. "But the MCAS is not so much an achievement test as it is a test of how well a school system is aligning itself to the frameworks."
Connelly said that this concept is sometimes hard for parents to understand, but emphasized that a bad score on the part of a student does not translate into a bad student.
"I think it's very, very important for parents to keep that in mind."
One significant change this year as compared to last year is that the testing has been spread out to allow children some rest between exams. According to Connelly, the state may also increase the number of grades to be tested and spread out the four areas of examination, a move which would also ease some of the burden on the students.
"That, to me, makes a lot of sense," he explained. "There's been an awful lot of discussion about this.
"They've (state educators) paid a lot more attention to the fatigue factor."
In addition, other more minor changes in the exam can be expected in the next few years.
"The MCAS test is really a fluid document at this time," said Connelly. "There's clearly been some modifications this year based on what happened last year. The test is still undergoing adjustments."
Last May, grades 8 and 10 fared well when compared to statewide results while grade 4 seemed to have more difficulty. In order to counteract this lack of proficiency, the School Department escalated its teaching standards in that grade and hopes to see improvement.
"We're going to use the MCAS to identify areas of weakness that we can help our students work on," Connelly stated. "I would anticipate that our kids will continue to improve on the MCAS in the next two to three years."
According to Connelly, however, the real test of how well the School Department has reacted to the MCAS will take place next year when last year's eighth graders will take the exam for the second time.
"We've probably done some very worthwhile things in our school system, but there are a lot of variables that come into play with a totally different group. Next year we should really see what's happened and how we've performed," Connelly summarized.
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