MCAS results released today

The Massachusetts Department of Education today released the results of the 2008 MCAS tests and the department said statewide they show impressive math gains in all grades and strong improvement in eighth grade science and gains in English language arts, math and Science, Technology/Engineering in Grade 10.

In a statement released by the department, Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester was quoted as saying " it is critical that we build our students literacy and comprehension skills at an early age to give them the tools they need to succeed as they grow."

Chester in releasing the results at a press conference in Chelsea pointed out the Edgar Hooks School in Chelsea was one of the state's leaders in improving student learning.

He added that "this year's results are a reminder that we need to do more in this area. As a Commonwealth , we can learn from schools like the Hooks that have found the right combination of focus, innovation and improvement in curriculum and instruction. As a result, their students are making great gains.

The DOE reported " the student population at the Hooks school is nearly 90 percent low income, 25 percent limited English proficient and 12 percent of the students are listed with disabilities. Nearly 78 percent of its students are Hispanic and just over 9 percent are African American.

The press release went on to state:

Superintendent Tom Kingston attributed the school's gains to their team teaching approach, leadership training for administrators and reliance on formative assessments to guide individual student intervention in math and reading.

"What makes this school work is the people delivering the services to our children," said Chelsea Superintendent Thomas Kingston. "The combination of solid leadership and great teachers ensures that all of our children get an opportunity to succeed."

School Principal Adele Lubarsky agreed.

"The improvements we've seen are truly the result of a joint effort among all teachers at the school," she said. "Everyone has high expectations for all children, and we continuously tell our students that they can do this."

Statewide results released last week showed large increases in student performance on the math exams. For the second year in a row, every grade tested demonstrated significant gains on math performance.

English Language Arts results, however, showed a decline in the percentage of students scoring Proficient and higher in grades 3, 4 and 5 with flat results for grades 6, 7 and 8. At grade 3 the percent of students scoring Proficient or higher declined two- to three- points across all racial/ethnic subgroups; at grade 4, the decline across racial/ethnic subgroups ranged from 5-7 points.

At the high school level, results showed that 80 percent of students in the class of 2010 passed the English, Math and Science exams required for a high school diploma. In all, 93 percent passed the English exam, 88 percent passed the Math exam, and 83 percent passed the exam in Science and Technology/Engineering (STE). The class of 2010 – this year's junior class - is the first required to pass the MCAS STE exam in addition to the English and Math exams in order to earn the competency determination necessary to receive a high school diploma.

Among high schools with more than 200 students tested, the schools with the biggest increase in the percentage of students scoring Proficient and Advanced are:

Fitchburg High: up 14 percentage points in ELA; up 19 in math

Madison Park High School in Boston: up 10 in ELA; up 22 in math

Bristol-Plymouth Vocational Technical School: up 17 in ELA; up 15 in math

Putnam Vocational Technical High School in Springfield: up 15 in ELA; up 15 in math

Whittier Regional Vocational School: up 20 in ELA; up 10 in math

Brighton High School: up 23 in ELA; up 5 in math

Danvers High School: up 7 in ELA; up 18 in math

Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School: up 8 in ELA; up 17 in math

Salem High School: up 11 in ELA; up 13 in math

Shawsheen Valley Vocational Technical High School: up 11 in ELA; up 12 in math

For all school and district results look online at www.doe.mass.edu/mcas.