Dramatic gains seen on MCAS
Several elementary schools in the region are proving that student success as measured by standardized tests can be accomplished, even with outdated textbooks and limited resources.
Of the region's 122 public elementary schools, half have shown dramatic improvement on the fourth-grade Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exam this year, according to test results released by the state on Thursday.
The data showed that 60 schools have made double-digit gains in the percentage of students scoring in the top two tiers, or "advanced" and "proficient" levels, in math, while 48 made similar gains in English.
The improvements in local elementary schools cut across socioeconomic lines, with both urban and suburban schools showing significant gains on the fourth-grade test.
Students at the Penn Brook School in Georgetown, a community where voters rejected a property tax-cap override for the schools, showed the most significant gains in math, with 64 percent scoring at the highest levels, up from just 24 percent last year.
On the English portion of the test, students at the Forestdale School in Malden were the most improved, with 50 percent scoring at the highest levels, up from 29 percent last year.
Significant gains in one or both sub jects also were recorded at several schools in Lynn and Melrose, Marblehead, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and Hamilton. Educators throughout the region are taking a hard look at their teaching methods in hopes of building on their success.
In Peabody, teachers are helping one another become better instructors.
According to assistant superintendent Joseph Mastrocola, the key to student achievement is quality instruction.
Based on that philosophy, the district has adopted a formal mentoring program for first-year teachers so they can draw upon the experience of veteran teachers.
And in Melrose, school officials are conducting a science experiment, of sorts, to determine what reading program will best meet the needs of the district's elementary students.
Each of the city's five elementary schools has embraced a different reading program this year, with the hope of identifying the one program that best meets the state's guidelines and promotes strong literacy.
The programs are being piloted in kindergarten and grades 1 through 3, with teachers in each of the five schools assessing the programs, often on their own time.
"Good teaching is a true craft that necessitates a tremendous amount of planning and analysis," said Pat Muxie, director of curriculum for the Melrose public schools.
"Teachers today realize this and are stepping up to the plate, putting in extra hours that go well beyond the school day and their classroom walls," said Muxie. "This demonstrates their passion for what they do and their dedication to the students they teach every day."
Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, every student must reach proficiency in English and math by 2014, meaning that they are able to demonstrate a solid command of grade-level material.
In Massachusetts, schools are judged on the basis of their students' performance on the MCAS, and other measures, including attendance rates.
Close examination of the test results released last week reveals that the need for improvement in the region's schools is greatest in urban areas.
Four schools in Lynn had the smallest percentages of fourth-graders scoring at the top levels in math and English, or both, while few students at schools in Revere, Gloucester, and Everett earned top scores in math.
"We spend a lot of time looking at the scores, to see what we're doing right and what we need to do better," said Cathie Latham, deputy superintendent for the Lynn public schools, the largest school system in the region with 13,619 students.
"Like most districts, we are focusing quite a bit on reading comprehension. We know that being able to read well is essential to a child's academic success."
Lynn educators offer young readers extra help, to ensure they don't fall behind.
The district ran a summer-long reading program for first- and second-graders this year, to help the youngsters hone their reading skills.
There are 19 elementary schools in Lynn. Four of those schools are having difficulty helping elementary students overcome the challenges that prevent them from earning top scores on the MCAS, but not one school in the district lost ground.
In fact, the Capt. William G. Shoemaker School had the second highest percentage of students in the region scoring in the "advanced" and "proficient" levels in math.
Roughly 76 percent of fourth-graders at the Shoemaker school earned top scores; only Manchester Memorial Elementary boasted a higher percentage of top scorers in math, at 82 percent.
Latham and other local educators warned against measuring student performance by the standardized test scores alone.
"Even in the schools that had a low percentage of kids scoring at the top levels, we saw dramatic improvement," said Latham, noting that several schools reached their improvement targets, but not their performance targets.
"A quality education really is a combination of so many different elements. We ask our elementary teachers to do more than is humanly possible."
