Adams-Cheshire Pleased With New MCAS Test Scores
CHESHIRE, Mass. — The Adams-Cheshire Regional School District, under the new MCAS standards, does not require "assistance or intervention."
Superintendent John Vosburgh told the School Committee on Monday that the district has received a rating of 59 percent "partially meeting targets" that means although there is much work to do, the district rating with the state is improving.
"To give you a snapshot, we are currently in a position of overall classification of not requiring assistance or intervention," Vosburgh said. "Overall I'd say we should be pretty pleased we are definitely moving in the right direction."
With the MCAS 2.0 (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) in full swing, the district is being held to a new system. Instead of schools being categorized by levels, the Department of Education rates schools based on meeting expectation or whether or not they need intervention to improve test scores.
Adams-Cheshire had been categorized as a Level 3 school district and as late as 2015, had been well under the scoring goals in all three of its schools at the time. A state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education assessment found a number of failings but this was also about the time new strategies were being implemented to improve instructional quality and data assessment.
Vosburgh said the district's score is calculated by achievement, growth, high school completion as well as other indicators and a percentage score above 50 percent means the district no longer needs state intervention.
"We are partially meeting targets at 59 percent and anything above 50 percent means you are an improving school or district," he said. "As a district, we are classified as partially meeting targets."
Vosburgh said the indicators are rated between 0 and 4. A score of 0 means there was a decline; 1 means numbers stayed the same; 2 means the school or district has hit its target; 3 means the target was hit and improved upon; and 4 is exceeded the target.
He presented overall results and in achievement ratings were between 3 and 4 in English language arts and science throughout grade levels.
Although the high school students scored a 3 in mathematics other grade levels scored a 0.
"The good part of this is if you want to look at some of our weaknesses it does point out to you the areas in which we need to focus on," he said. "Whether you like MCAS or not it is the method in which the state comes in and says how well you are doing."
Vosburgh said another area of concern was high school completion in which the district score a zero in a few sections.
"It is an area we can definitely improve upon. I remember when I was being interviewed I said I wanted to pay attention to detail," he said. "We are not a huge district and we can certainly work with individual kids to make sure they are getting over the hump."
Growth scores were also higher with high school ELA growth at 4 and mathematics at 3. Other grade levels were at 3 in ELA and 2 in math.
Vosburgh also went through subgroups and said he had specific concerns in the high-needs groups where there were more zeros than he would have liked.
"We have a few zeros in there especially in math," he said. "In the areas you will see a zero or a 1, those are the areas where we need to focus on."
As for special education, Vosburgh said the district scored "needs assistance" which is second from the top.
"Not quite sure what needs assistance is going to translate into being that there are two categories below us of needs assistance," he said. "I am not thinking we are going to hear a whole heck of a lot. The state typically focuses on the bottom 20 percent of schools which we are not."
Vosburgh said as a Level 3 district, the Adams-Cheshire had been working alongside the region's District and School Assistance Center toward improvements. He said he wasn't sure if this would continue.
"We are not quite sure if we will just be dropped or if an interaction will remain," he said.
Vosburgh said the individual principals will provide more detailed presentations at a future meeting.
Tags: ACRSD, MCAS,
