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A graph of 2013 MCAS ELA scores. Number of students scoring proficient or above are on the vertical axis; student improvement is on the horizontal axis.
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Berkshire Arts & Tech Charter School Touts MCAS Scores

By Stephen DravisWilliamstown Correspondent
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Principal April West discusses the 2013 MCAS scores with high school students on Wednesday afternoon.
ADAMS, Mass. — The principal of the Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter Public School told her students Wednesday to be proud — but not satisfied — with the recently released results of last spring's Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exams.
 
True, the 2013 MCAS shows the charter school to once again be one of just two "Level 1" districts in Berkshire County.
But even more important is the rate at which students are improving, April West told an assembly of the high school students.
 
And if they keep "climbing the mountain," there is no reason why BArT cannot be king of the hill, April West said.
 
"While Mount Greylock [Regional High School] has achievements I really respect and admire, their students are not improving their skills at the rate we are," West told the students.
 
West showed the students slides based on last week's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education report that show the charter school ahead of nearly every "sending district" that contributes to its student body.
 
The exception was Williamstown's Mount Greylock Regional, which posted the county's top percentages for students in all grades demonstrating proficency or higher in English language arts (93 percent) and mathematics (77 percent).
 
BArT checked in with 77 percent of its students at proficiency or higher in ELA and 61 percent at or above the benchmark in math.
 
Both Mount Greylock and BArT ran well ahead of the statewide average of 69 percent of students proficient or higher in ELA. BArT was right on the average of 61 percent proficient or higher in math.
 
West pointed with pride to those numbers as well as the category in which BArT leads all of its sending districts — including Mount Greylock: student growth percentile.
 
In that measure of improvement among students taking the MCAS last spring, BArT posted scores of 68.0 in ELA and 62.0 in math. Mount Greylock was just behind with percentile scores of 59.0 and 51.0.
 
"Our absolute performance is not as high as Mount Greylock's, but we're growing quite a bit more," West said.
"You're growing more than anybody else [in the county]. We're going to continue to go up and up and up."
 
West emphasized that drive for improvement by singling out the students in each class who demonstrated exceptional growth on the standardized tests, dubbing the cohort "BArT Mountain-Climbers."
 
Other highlights from the MCAS report for the 10-year-old charter school included:
 
Receiving the highest Progress and Performance Index score in Berkshire County for all students and for high needs students.
Having 94 percent of 10th-graders proficient or advanced in math; representing the highest percentage of 10th-grade math proficiency in Berkshire County.
Having 97 percent of 10th-graders proficient or advanced in English.
The 7th-grade English student growth was the 5th highest in the state.
Having a composite performance index in both English and math higher than the state’s: in aggregate, for special education students and for low-income students.

Tags: BArT,   MCAS,   rankings,   

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Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.
 
This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.
 
The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.
 
DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.
 
"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths. 
 
"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."
 
Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.
 
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