Assessment/Accountability
MCAS Performance Appeals

Instructions for Completing the Cohort Worksheet
August 2009

1. For the student under appeal please provide the following information in the row entitled "Appellant:"
   1. The student's state assigned identification number (SASID)
   2. The student's GPA for each of the course titles indicated at the top of the worksheet at grade 10 and 11. Use the numerical values shown in the table below.
   3. The highest MCAS score the student received in the subject area of the appeal.
      
      
2. For every student in the cohort group (defined as ALL the students in the school who took the same sequence of courses identified at the top of the worksheet AND who passed the MCAS test in the subject area of the appeal), please provide:
   1. The students' GPAs for each course (use the numerical values shown in the table below)
   2. The highest MCAS score received by the student in the subject area of the appeal.
   
   
   

   A	A-	B+	B	B-	C+	C	C-	D+	D	D-	F
   4.0	3.7	3.3	3.0	2.7	2.3	2.0	1.7	1.3	1.0	0.7	0.4

Please also note the following:

• The cohort worksheet will not accept numerical grade values 0.0 to 0.3. Grades of "F" must be assigned a value of 0.4 indicating that the student's work was equivalent to or above 0.4.
• The worksheet may include grade 9 courses. Similarly, the worksheet may include grade 12 courses, if the student under appeal and the cohort group have completed at least two terms of the grade 12 courses. In this case, average grades for the two terms should be provided. If grade 10 and/and or 11 courses are not included, rationale must be provided.
• Rather than listing ALL the students on the worksheet who took the same sequence of courses, you may include only those students who scored 220 to 228. If there are more than 25 students in a cohort with MCAS scores of 220-228, or if there are additional questions about the cohort, please email massappeals@doe.mass.edu for further instructions.

Worksheet Summary Definitions