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Student achievement improves on 11 of 17 MCAS tests

E-mail|Link|Comments () September 7, 2010 12:54 PM

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By Globe Staff

State officials trumpeted improvements in MCAS test scores announced today, saying they showed that the state was providing a better education to its public school students.

"I am very proud of the hard work and achievement of our students and teachers," Governor Deval Patrick said in a statement. He said the gains demonstrated "that when we focus efforts on early literacy and providing schools with the tools they need, all students will improve and progress will be made in closing achievement gaps."

Student scores improved on 11 of the 17 MCAS achievement tests given in the spring of 2010, the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said in a report on the scores.

The department said the percentage of students scoring "Proficient" or higher increased for three of seven English tests, five of seven math tests, and on all three science/technology tests.

Students made the strongest gains on math tests, where the percentage of students scoring "Proficient" or higher increased by 1 to 5 percentage points on the five tests, though scores stayed flat for fourth- and 10th-graders.

The largest single gain came in third-grade English, where a 6-percentage-point increase was seen, from 57 percent in 2009 to 63 percent this spring, the department reported in a summary of results posted on the Internet this morning.

The only dip in scores came in 10th-grade English, where 78 percent scored "Proficient" or higher, compared with 79 percent in 2009.

Officials said they were pleased with the increases on sixth-grade, seventh-grade, and eighth-grade math scores because middle-school math achievement had been a long-time concern.

Patrick also said the number of 10th-graders who scored "Proficient" or higher on the English and math tests had nearly doubled since the first year such scores were required to graduate.

The results "continue to prove that high standards and high expectations combined with the right resources for all students creates a winning formula for success," Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray said in a statement.

More than half a million students in grades three through 10 participated this spring in the tests.