Thursday, 4:30 PM
MCAS scores rise in all grades
By James Vaznis, Globe Staff
State standardized test scores improved for students in all grades last year -- the first time in three years that scores increased across the board, the state Department of Education announced this morning.
The improvement in Grades 3 through 8 reversed two previous years of flat or declining scores that caused concern about whether the state's more-than-decade long effort to bolster academic achievement had peaked.
At the same time, nearly nine out of 10 sophomores, or 87 percent, passed the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test on the first try -- the highest rate since the test became a high school graduation requirement in 2001. Last near, 84 percent of sophomores passed the test on the first try.
"These improvements are indicative of the hard work and dedication of educators, students, parents/guardians, and many others across the Commonwealth," Acting Education Commissioner Jeffrey Nellhaus said in a statement. "We must now strive to sustain these improvements and push even higher."
The results also showed improvement among racial and ethnic minority students, but a performance gap persists, with black and Hispanic students lagging behind their white and Asian peers.
On the 10th-grade exam, 73 percent of black and 67 percent of Hispanic students passed on the first try compared with 91 percent of white students and 90 percent of Asian students. In 2006, 67 percent of black and 61 percent of Hispanic students passed the test on the first try compared with 89 percent of white students and 89 percent of Asian students.
"Let's not lose sight of the fact that while kids with disabilities and limited English proficiency, and minority kids, are improving, the achievement gap persists. We have work to do there," Governor Deval Patrick said in a statement. "If we are to move education forward in this Commonwealth it is essential we work to educate the whole child from the time they start learning before kindergarten, through Grade 12 and higher education, and continue that effort in work force development and lifelong learning."
A summary of the scores, released by the Department of Education:
On the math test in Grades 3 through 8, the percentage of students who scored in the top two testing categories, advanced and proficient, increased 5 to 8 percentage points. The scores ranged from a low of 45 percent in those two categories for Grade 8 and a high of 60 percent in Grade 3.On the English test in Grades 3 through 8, the percentage of students who scored in the top two testing categories rose 3 to 6 percentage points. Scores ranged from a low of 56 percent for Grade 4 to a high of 75 percent for Grade 8.
On the science and technology test, which is given in Grades 5 and 8, scores increased by 1 percentage point for each grade to 51 percent in Grade 5 and 33 percent in Grade 8.
On the Grade 10 exam, the percentage of students scoring in the top two testing categories in English and math each increased by 1 percentage point to 71 percent in English and 68 percent in math.
The state will release scores for the 10th-grade science test next month. Sophomores who took the exam last year will be the first graduating classes in Massachusetts that must pass the science exam in order to receive high school diplomas.
