Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System

Student Assessment Update: October 15, 2014

Update on Districts' PARCC or MCAS Choice for Spring 2015

As you know, districts were asked to indicate their assessment decision for 2015 by using an online tool that closed on October 1. We are pleased to announce that all districts are being granted their assessment choice. The Department has posted a confirmation showing the decisions registered by district superintendents and directors of collaboratives and other outplacements. Districts that selected PARCC may make adjustments to which schools will administer paper-based tests and which schools will administer computer-based tests. Through the end of this month, to request an adjustment, superintendents should email parcc@doe.mass.edu.

Test Administration Website for PARCC Schools

PearsonAccess Next is a password-protected website that will allow schools and districts participating in PARCC tests in 2015 to manage both computer-based and paper-based test administration. Schools and districts will receive login information for PearsonAccess Next via email in late October. The following email addresses should be white-listed, or added to your address book, to ensure receipt of PARCC communications and new account information from PearsonAccess Next:

To ensure that PARCC districts and schools have access to PearsonAccess Next, we request that they review information in Directory Administration and submit updates over the next two weeks. Updates should be submitted by your District-level Directory Administrator, who is responsible for submitting updates to the Department. More information will be provided to superintendents, test coordinators, and technology coordinators once the initial accounts are created.

PARCC Practice Test Regional Sessions

To help familiarize educators with the PARCC online assessments, the Department is hosting a series of PARCC practice test sessions led by Massachusetts P-16 PARCC Educator Leader Fellows. PARCC Fellows are experts in using the 2011 Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for ELA/Literacy and Mathematics and PARCC resources such as the Model Content Frameworks and released assessment items. Session dates and locations as well as registration instructions are posted on the Department's website.

MCAS Performance Appeals

Updated information and materials for submitting MCAS performance appeals have been posted to MCAS Performance Appeals for students in high school who have not yet passed the required MCAS tests. Please use only these updated materials when submitting appeals. Contact 781-338-3333 or mcasappeals@doe.mass.edu with any questions about MCAS performance appeals. Prior to each MCAS retest opportunity and prior to graduation, high school principals should review their Competency Determination (CD) data to compile the most recently updated list of students who have not yet met the MCAS CD requirement for graduation. Students who have not yet met this requirement should be scheduled for upcoming MCAS retests. Each school's list of students who have not yet met the MCAS CD requirement is available at the Department's Security Portal. Once you log in, click on "Edwin Analytics," then the "Students, Staff & Classroom" tab, and finally, "Student CD Roster (PE618)." Principals should also determine which students are eligible to have one or more MCAS performance appeals filed on their behalf and file them early in the school year. The deadline for filing appeals is the first Friday of each month during the school year.

John and Abigail Adams Scholarship Letters for the Class of 2015

Letters for students in the class of 2015 who meet the eligibility requirements for the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship have been delivered to school districts. The district or student's high school is responsible for distributing these letters to eligible students. Prior to distribution, the Department encourages districts/schools to make and keep copies of these letters. Principals and guidance counselors can access the list of Adams Scholarship recipients for their high school on the MCAS Service Center website . A password, sent to principals in January 2014, is needed to access this list.

Important Upcoming Dates

October 27-31: Ordering window for February 2015 MCAS High School Biology Test
October 27-November 14: Ordering window for ACCESS for ELLs Test
November 5-7: MCAS ELA Retest
November 12-13: MCAS Mathematics Retest
November 17: MCAS Retests-last day for make-up testing

Subscriber Information

Principals, MCAS test coordinators, and ELL directors receive this update based on contact information submitted to the Department. To change your email address or to add another staff member, please follow the instructions below:

Public school districts, public schools, charter public schools, collaboratives, approved special education schools: Submit the new email address to your District-Level Directory Administrator.
MCAS test sites, adult education programs, out-of-state schools, SEIS-DYS programs: Submit an email address (along with your District and School Code) to diradmin@doe.mass.edu.

We welcome your feedback at mcas@doe.mass.edu.

Last Updated: October 17, 2014