NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — McCann Technical High students once again scored highly on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System tests and the vocational high school is classified as "not requiring assistance or intervention."
"It has been another solid year and we are doing the same things we have always done and our kids are performing at the same level and they are getting a chance to shine," Principal Justin Kratz told the
School Committee on Thursday. "We are in good shape."
Kratz said the test was different this year and has been "reshuffled." He said it is harder to directly compare results to the previous test and that rather it pits local scores against the state average.
This is the second year of using the new accountability system for so-called MCAS 2.0, a more rigorous iteration of the standardized tests. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education used a weighted system in which last year's results made up a percentage of the combined two-year score.
Kratz compared results to the state average — specifically passing rates. On the math portion of the test, McCann claimed a 94 percent passing rate; the state average is 91 percent.
In biology, 97 percent of McCann students passed against a state average of 95 percent. McCann trended the same way in the English Language Arts test with 98 percent of students passing compared to a state average of 92 percent.
In terms of accountability points, McCann scored four out of four points in ELA, one out of four in math, and three out of four in science.
Out of a total of eight points in growth, McCann scored five.
Kratz noted, like in years passed, it becomes harder to continue to grab points when students are already scoring highly.
"Being a high-performance MCAS school is a double-edged sword because there is not always that room for growth that the state is looking for," he said. "Compared to other schools, our kids have traditionally done well on the MCAS so this year was no exception."
Kratz said McCann was mentioned in a DESE press release that stated among vocational schools, McCann saw the greatest improvement in meeting its targets from 2018 to 2019.
He said the faculty and students are the ones to thank for McCann's continued success.
"If you think about what our kids do in 180 days compared to students not in vocational programs to be at this level," the principal said. "We meet expectations and we are where the state says we need to be. We are there in 90 days and by the way, our students are coming out of school prepared to do electrical work, automotive work, and other trades."
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MCLA Class of 2024 Told 'This Is Your Time'
By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
Commencement speaker Shannon Holsey shares some advice from her father: 'My dad always said if you're not hitting a few guardrails, you're not going fast enough.' See more photos here.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts awarded 175 degree and certificates at the college's 125th commencement ceremonies on Saturday.
Keynote speaker Shannon Holsey, president of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans, said past graduations have occurred during periods of peace with little fanfare. But not so for the class of 2024.
"Your class has come of an age and a moment of great conflict in our nation and for the world," she said. "A rare inflection in points in history where the size and scope of the challenges before us require that we remake our world to its renewed promise. That we align our deepest values and commitments to the demands of the new age. It's a privilege and responsibility afforded a few to a few generations. And for that task that you're now called to fulfill is huge."
Holsey told the class not to wait to share their opinions or ideas or to shape the world. Punctuated by applause at several points, the Native American leader said this is a world that "aches under the weight of violence, instability and threats to global order" and invests more in wars and weapons than education and health care.
She referenced the experience of her own nation, dispossessed from the very land that she stood on and reduced from thousands to hundreds as they were forced to move farther west.
"This day of all days, is one of my birthright and seems most fitting that this place is a perfect space to celebrate and honor my ancestors who sacrificed so much to be here," Holsey said. Past leaders had seen education as a countercheck for "adapting and understanding a complex system that wasn't necessarily designed for indigenous people."
"I have learned that diversity in human experience gives rise to diversity in thought, which creates distinct ideas and methods of problem solving. The power of differences can make us smarter and more creative. If we accept the differences are OK," she said. "The world doesn't need more people trying to fit in like a cookie-cutter sameness."
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