District/School Administration Administration
The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Update on 2008 MCAS Performance and Adequate Yearly Progress Results

Over the past six weeks the Department has made several major announcements detailing statewide, school and district performance on the 2008 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exams and this year's Adequate Yearly Progress results, as required under No Child Left Behind. This memo serves to summarize those results for the Board.

When I came to Massachusetts this past May, I already knew that the state's public school students were among the highest performing in the nation. We ranked or tied for first on all four reading and math exams on the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), our SAT scores rose in 2008 at a time when results nationally were relatively flat, and our annual MCAS results showed continued overall progress.

The evidence has convinced me that the Commonwealth's investment in education and commitment to a reform agenda focused on standards and results has yielded major dividends for all students.

2008 MCAS Results

No statistic better reflects this outcome than the 2008 grade 10 MCAS results. In 2002, the average score for white students and those from middle and upper income families was barely in the Proficient range, while the average score for students of color and students from low income families was 15 to 20 points below Proficient.

Scores have risen steadily since then: In 2008 the average score for white and middle income students is 15 to 20 points above Proficient; the average score for minority or low income students is at or close to Proficient.

Overall this year's results reflect both progress and areas where we need to sharpen our focus. Math results in every grade tested reached the highest levels we have seen in the history of the state's assessment program, but English language arts (ELA) results in the elementary grades declined slightly and were flat in middle school.

Statewide 80 percent of students in the class of 2010 have passed theELA, Math and Science exams required for a high school diploma. In all, 93 percent passed the ELA exam, 88 percent passed the Math exam, and 83 percent passed the exam in Science and Technology/Engineering (STE). Of those who passed all three exams, about 60 percent scored Proficient or above on the ELA and math exams. The remaining students will be required to complete an Educational Proficiency Plan prior to graduation.

Other results include:

• The percentage of students who scored Proficient or higher in ELA declined in grades 3, 4 and 5, and remained flat in grades 6, 7 and 8. At grade 3 the percent of students scoring Proficient or higher declined two to three points across all racial/ethnic subgroups; at grade 4 the decline across racial/ethnic subgroups ranged from 5-7 points.

• On the grade 10 ELA exam, significant gains were made, particularly among subgroups: The percent of Black students who scored Proficient and higher rose 9 percentage points; the percent of Hispanic/Latino students who scored Proficient and higher rose 7 percentage points.

• STE results showed significant gains in grade 8, with the percentage of students scoring Proficient and higher up 6 points between 2007 and 2008.

• Despite continued improvement in Math, less than half of middle school students scored at or above Proficient.

Adequate Yearly Progress

Under the federal accountability system established under No Child Left Behind, the state is required to assess schools annually based on their progress toward moving all students to proficient by 2014. Each school is required to meet an annual performance target in the aggregate and for all subgroups in both ELA and Math.

Districts and schools that fail to meet their targets in ELA and/or mathematics in the aggregate or for any of their subgroups for two or more consecutive years receive an accountability status and are required to take steps to focus efforts on improving student performance. Districts and schools face consequences that grow in intensity each year they remain on the list.

This year's results show that 50 percent of all Massachusetts public schools have been identified for improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under the federal accountability system.

It is important to note that we do not take the accountability status of any school or district lightly. That said, we do not consider them to be failures. Across the Commonwealth are examples of districts and schools that have not met their federal targets but are still clearly making progress and are moving in the right direction.

According to the preliminary 2008 results, 88 districts (23 percent) and 828 schools (50 percent) are on the state's 2008 list of districts and schools in need of improvement because they did not make AYP for two or more consecutive years. The 828 schools are spread across 243 districts. In 2007, 82 districts (21 percent) and 672 schools (approximately 37 percent) received an accountability status by not meeting performance or improvement targets.

According to the district results:

• Seven school districts exited their accountability status in 2008, including 5 which exited from improvement status and 2 which exited from corrective action.

• 16 districts were identified for the first time in 2008.

• Of the 88 districts with an accountability status in 2008: seven are identified for improvement in the aggregate, 28 are identified for improvement for subgroups; eight are in corrective action in the aggregate, 38 are in corrective action for subgroups; three are identified for restructuring in the aggregate, and four are identified for restructuring for subgroups.

School findings include:

• 28 schools exited their accountability status in 2008 by making AYP in the identified subject area(s) for two consecutive years.

• 46 schools (6%) with an accountability status made AYP for all groups in 2008, meaning they will be removed from their accountability status if all groups in the identified subject area(s) make AYP again in 2009.

• Nearly half of all the schools identified (394; 48%) were identified for performance in ELA. 36 percent (296 schools) were identified in mathematics; 17 percent were identified in both subjects.

• 214 schools are newly identified for improvement in 2008.

Enclosures:
September 16, 2008 press release on statewide 2008 MCAS results
September 19, 2008 press release on 2008 AYP results
September 24, 2008 press release on school and district MCAS results