A crucial leap in MCAS

At least half of the 10th-graders in three of the state's poorest communities scored in the top two of the MCAS test's four categories, the best scores in those districts since the test began in 1998.

At Brockton High, 68 percent of the sophomores scored in the proficient or the advanced categories, the two highest levels, on the English exam on their first try, close to the state average, according to results released yesterday. In 2001, only 43 percent of Brockton's sophomores reached that mark.

In math, 52 percent of sophomores at Brockton High scored in the two top categories, compared with 30 percent five years ago.

In Boston and Lowell, 51 percent did that well in English: a 20-percentage-point jump from five years ago for Boston and a 15-percentage-point increase for Lowell. In math, 53 percent hit the top categories in Boston, and 51 percent in Lowell, also double-digit increases for both cities. In earlier years, a majority of students barely passed the exams.

Boston, Lowell, and Brockton are three of the 10 poorest school districts in the state, based on the percentage of students who qualify for reduced-price or free lunch.

``We blew the lid off," said Susan Szachowicz, principal of Brockton High, where 60.3 percent of the students are low-income. ``It just breaks that myth that poor, urban kids can't succeed."

Lynn, also among the poorest, came close to the other cities' results: Half of its sophomores scored proficient or better in English, and 49 percent did in math.

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System has four performance levels, ranging from worst to best: failing, needs improvement, proficient, and advanced. Needs improvement is the minimum score required by state law to graduate from high school. Federal law sets a higher standard: By 2014, all students must score at least proficient, which means they have a solid command of the subject, or their schools could face sanctions, such as state intervention.

Yesterday, state education officials unveiled school and district 10th-grade test results at a Dorchester school complex that they said exemplifies high achievement despite poverty.

Though their schools' scores reflect a one-year jump, Brockton, Lowell, and Boston school officials said they have been boosting scores for years. They have been tutoring students, creating challenging classes, and enlisting parents to help make sure that truant students come to school. Now, officials say, their results show what is possible. Other poor school systems, including Lawrence, Springfield, and Holyoke, have been unable to reach as high a standard.

Education Commissioner David P. Driscoll said yesterday that the 10th-grade scores show what schools can accomplish when they impose tough academic standards and test students. He has been urging schools to get their students to do more than just pass the test. Beginning with the class of 2003, all high school students have had to pass the test to graduate.

``Here we see that all kids can do it," Driscoll said, as he addressed a largely minority student body in the auditorium of the Dorchester Education Complex, where students celebrated their strong test scores.

Statewide, 67 percent of all 10th-graders scored proficient or better in math, while 69 percent scored that high in English, an increase of 4 to 5 percentage points from last year.

School system officials attributed the higher scores to a variety of approaches. At Brockton High, all teachers, including gym teachers, incorporate reading, writing, and math in their classes.

Lowell High officials said that getting 200 chronically absent students to come to school helped boost their scores. They rewarded students for good attendance with free computers, backpacks, and bicycles. And they hired three police officers who tracked down parents at home or called students at 6 a.m. to make sure they were up for school.

``In urban centers, these are the kids that get lost," said Lowell Headmaster William Samaras. ``If you get them in school, you can do it."

Starting in 2003, Boston began transforming large, troubled high schools into smaller academies to give students more attention. Small schools are subject to higher fluctuations in scores, but Driscoll said it was remarkable yesterday that the three academies created from Dorchester High School in 2003 had posted some of the state's biggest gains. One school, TechBoston Academy, had more than half of the students score proficient or higher. A few years ago, in middle school, a majority of the students were failing.

Yesterday, students shrieked with joy at the high scores. Only a few years ago, the school was known as ``Dumbchester High." Pranksters pulled fire alarms sometimes daily to disrupt classes.

Now tutors from the University of Massachusetts at Boston coach teachers and train students. Students stay at school longer to study. Yesterday a banner hung at the main entrance: ``We knew we were smart. Now the world knows it, too."

Jason Centeio, 17, a junior at TechBoston Academy, told students that the small school catapulted him from an F student who repeated ninth grade to a strong student who has just won free tuition to the University of Massachusetts for his high MCAS scores.

``It's been a pretty bumpy ride getting to where I am today, " said Centeio, the son of immigrants from Cape Verde. ``But TBA [TechBoston Academy] didn't give up on me."

Driscoll said that the smaller school approach has appeared to work in Dorchester, but that it would take more years of test scores to prove that size has had an effect.

Other school systems also boosted their 10th-grade scores, from the wealthiest suburbs to the cities. In Cambridge, where nearly half of the students are low income, a majority of the students scored in the two highest MCAS categories for the first time.

Even as high school scores are rising, MCAS scores in the elementary and most middle school grades are flat or declining statewide. Also, minority students and those with disabilities still lag behind others. Driscoll said he would study other incentives to spur improvement in the lower grades. Test scores by school and district for grades 3 through 8 will be released next month.

Maria Sacchetti can be reached at msacchetti@globe.com.