MCAS Letters 2010

8/8/2019 MCAS Letters 2010

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Watertown Public Schools30 Common St, Watertown, MA 02472 USA 617-926-7766 fax: 617-926-9759 www.watertown.k12.ma.us

September 28, 2010

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Enclosed you will find your childs MCAS Alternative Assessment (MCAS-Alt) scores from last spring. The

overall Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) is designed to measure important skills

and knowledge in core academic subjects: English Language Arts and Mathematics in grades 3-8 and 10, and

Science in grades 5, 8, and in high school. MCAS has two purposes: the first is to measure individual student

performance and make sure that every child has adequate knowledge and skills by the time they graduate from

high school; the second is to assess and publicly release school and district performance ratings, holding school

systems accountable for student achievement.

The purpose of the MCAS-Alt is to make sure schools are teaching the states learning standards to all

students, regardless of their disability, and to help explore students capabilities, even when they cannot

demonstrate those capabilities on a standardized test like MCAS. Students taking the MCAS-Alt work with

their teachers and other instructional staff over the course of the year, and create a portfolio that demonstrates

their academic understanding in one or more subject areas. Student Portfolios are carefully reviewed and

individually scored. Each portfolio is awarded one of the following levels of performance: Incomplete

(insufficient evidence and information included); Awareness (students demonstrate very little understanding);

Emerging (simple understanding below grade-level expectations); Progressing (partial understanding below

grade-level expectations); Needs Improvement (partial understanding of grade level subject matter); Proficient

(solid understanding of challenging grade-level subject matter); Advanced (comprehensive understanding of

challenging grade-level subject matter). In order for a student to graduate from Watertown High School they

will need to reach the Needs Improvement level or above, demonstrating knowledge and skills at a grade 10

level of performance.

Watertown continues our commitment to the education of all children. If you have questions about your childs

MCAS-Alt performance please do not hesitate to call your childs special education teacher.

If you would like to learn more about the MCAS Alt in general please visit the Department of Elementary and

Secondary Education Web page which can be found at http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/alt/resources.html.

Sincerely,

Elisabeth Schaefer

Director of Student Services

nn Koufman-Frederick, Ph.D. Elisabeth Schaefer, M.A.Superintendent Director of Student Services


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3/9

Cynthia W. Crimmin, Ph.D.Principal

[email protected]

617-926-7726 (fax) 617-924-0420

Cunniff Elementary School246 Warren St, Watertown, MA 02472 USA 617-926-7726 fax: 617-924-0420 www.watertown.k12.ma.us

September 23, 2010


Enclosed you will find your childs MCAS scores from last spring. The MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive

Assessment System) is a series of standardized tests designed to measure important skills and knowledge in

selected academic subjects: English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. The MCAS has two purposes: the

first is to measure individual student performance and make sure that every child has adequate knowledge and

skills by the time they graduate from high school; the second is to assess and publicly release school and district

performance ratings, holding school systems accountable for student achievement.

There is a lot of information on your test results, including your childs performance level (advanced, proficient,

needs improvement, or warning), his or her scaled scores (200 280), and a comparison of your childs scores

with the average scores of other students in the school, district, and state. This years scores for current 5th gradestudents are also accompanied by a growth score, which represents the states best early efforts to identify how

much student scores have improved over time. If you have questions about your childs MCAS results, please call

your childs guidance counselor. You can also go online to the district web site and click on District

Assessment on the right-hand column for information around your childs scores.

This year, the Cunniff Schools overall rating in both ELA and Mathematics is, once again, High, with

continued, gradual improvement in several areas. For example, 55% of our current Grade 5 students performed

in the Proficient or Advanced category, a 12% improvement over the performance of this cohort last year. ELA

scores for this group of students were up to 43% Advanced or Proficient, a 2% improvement over the previous

years scores in ELA. Students in our Grade 3 classes made a solid showing for their first round of assessments

with 71% in the Proficient or Advanced categories in ELA. While these scores do not represent an all-time high

at this grade at the Cunniff, the scores are stronger than were the previous two years of Grade 3 scores (40%

Proficient or Advanced in 2008 and 70% Proficient and Advanced in 2009). Student performance inMathematics was strongest in Grade 3 with 77% of the students scoring in the Proficient or Advanced categories,

and Grade 5 Mathematics, where 12% more students earned in the higher categories than they had when in

Grade 4.

While performance in many areas continues to be consistent, we were disappointed that, as a school, we did not

make the threshold for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for the first year in either ELA or Mathematics.

Adequate Yearly Progress is calculated based on the score in CPI (Composite Performance Index) units needed to

reach the national goal of 100% proficiency by 2014. This year, the Cunniff School missed the necessary marker

in English Language Arts with a score of 81.3 versus an expected 90.2 target, and with a narrow margin of 83.5

versus a target of 84.3 in Mathematics. Although more and more schools struggle to meet this target as we

approach 2014, we, at the Cunniff, still take the meeting of this goal seriously.

These scores, in conjunction with many other measures of students learning growth, serve to guide our work in

the schools. They help us target our focus on areas that need attention, and they provide us with the data that can

highlight our successes. Ultimately, the real measure of our childrens learning will be the lives they are prepared

to lead as adults. In this task, strong communication between home and schools, and caring, consistent adult

support make all the difference. Thank you for supporting our work here at the Cunniff.

Sincerely,

Cindy Crimmin, Ph.D

Principal

Ann Koufman-Frederick, Ph.D.

Superintendent


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Anne Hardiman, Co-Principal

[email protected]

William F. McCarthy, Co-Principal

[email protected]

Hosmer Elementary School1 Concord Rd, Watertown, MA 02472 USA 617-926-7740 fax: 617-926-3259 www.watertown.k12.ma.us

September 23, 2010

Dear Parents and Guardians:

Enclosed you will find your childs MCAS scores from last spring. The MCAS (Massachusetts

Comprehensive Assessment System) is a series of standardized tests designed to measure important

skills and knowledge in selected academic subjects: English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science.

The MCAS has two purposes: the first is to measure individual student performance and make sure that

every child has adequate knowledge and skills by the time they graduate from high school; the second

is to assess and publicly release school and district performance ratings, holding school systems

accountable for student achievement.

There is a lot of information on your test results, including your childs performance level (advanced,

proficient, needs improvement, or warning), his or her scaled scores (200 280), and a comparison of

your childs scores with the average scores of other students in the school, district, and state. This

years scores for current 5th

grade students are also accompanied by a growth score, which represents

the states best early efforts to identify how much student scores have improved over time. If you have

questions about your childs MCAS results, please call your childs guidance counselor. You can also

go online to the district web site and click on District Assessment on the right-hand column for

information around your childs scores.

We are pleased to report that our 4th

grade student growth percentiles have consistently improved over

the past 3 years in both English Language Arts and Mathematics. In 2010, 56% of our 4th

grade

students scored proficient in English Language Arts compared to 38% in 2008. This indicates an 18%

increase in proficiency over 3 years. In Mathematics, 48% of the students reached proficiency in 2010compared to 36% in 2008. Historically, 4

thgrade scores have dipped at the school, district and state

level. We are encouraged to see notable improvement in proficiency at the 4th

grade level for Hosmer

students..

Adequate Yearly Progress is an accountability measure under theNo Child Left Behind Actto

determine progress in meeting the national goal for all students to be proficient in Mathematics and

English Language Arts by the year 2014. We did not reach our AYP goals in English Language Arts

and Mathematics this year. These goals are difficult to attain, get higher each year and we will work

hard to meet our AYP goals for all students and all subgroups, in all subjects.

We continue to examine curriculum, teaching practices, student services and enrichment resources to

determine how to best educate your children and inspire them toward greatness. MCAS scores are notthe sole measure of a students or a schools achievement level. Yet they are helpful indicators for

schools and families alike, highlighting points of strength and need. We look forward to working

together with you to ensure that all our children are successful in school.

Sincerely,

Anne M. Hardiman William F. McCarthy

Ann Koufman-Frederick, Ph.D.

Superintendent


5/9

Darilyn C. DonovanPrincipal

[email protected] (fax) 617-926-2676

Lowell Elementary School175 Orchard St, Watertown, MA 02472 USA 617-926-7770 fax: 617-926-2676 www.watertown.k12.ma.us

September 23, 2010


Enclosed you will find your childs MCAS scores from last spring. The MCAS (Massachusetts

Comprehensive Assessment System) is a series of standardized tests designed to measure important

skills and knowledge in selected academic subjects: English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science.

The MCAS has two purposes: the first is to measure individual student performance and make sure that

every child has adequate knowledge and skills by the time they graduate from high school; the second

is to assess and publicly release school and district performance ratings, holding school systems

accountable for student achievement.

There is a lot of information on your test results, including your childs performance level (advanced,

proficient, needs improvement, or warning), his or her scaled scores (200 280), and a comparison of

your childs scores with the average scores of other students in the school, district, and state. This

years scores for current 5th

grade students are also accompanied by a growth score, which represents

the states best early efforts to identify how much student scores have improved over time. If you have

questions about your childs MCAS results, please call your childs guidance counselor. You can alsogo online to the district web site and click on District Assessment on the right-hand column for

information around your childs scores.

This year, the Lowell Schools overall performance rating in both ELA and Mathematics is, once

again, High, with our overall improvement rating being On Target. Of note, 79% of our Grade 5

students last year performed in the Proficient or Advanced category in ELA, and 76% of those samestudents were in the advanced or proficient range for Math, too. Our fourth grade scores have

notoriously dipped and more closely mirror the state averages yet again this year. Third grade scores in

ELA are at 80% proficient or above, a significant increase over last years 61%. Third grade math

shows a slight increase over last year from 77% to 84% proficient or above.

While performance in many areas continues to be consistent, we were disappointed that, as a school,

we did not make the threshold for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for Mathematics for one subgroup.

Although more and more schools struggle to meet this target, for all subgroups, as we approach 2014,

we, at the Lowell, still take the meeting of this goal seriously.

These scores, in conjunction with many other measures of students learning growth, serve to guide our

work in the schools. They help us target our focus on areas that need attention, and they provide uswith the data that can highlight our successes. Ultimately, the real measure of our childrens learning

will be the lives they are prepared to lead as adults. In this task, strong communication between home

and schools, and caring, consistent adult support make all the difference. Thank you for supporting our

work here at the Lowell.

Sincerely,

Ann M. Koufman- Frederick, Ph.D.

Superintendent


6/9


7/9

September 24, 2010



Assessment System) is a series of standardized tests designed to measure important skills and knowledge in core academic

subjects: English Language Arts and Mathematics in every grade, and Science for fifth and eighth graders. The MCAS

has two purposes: the first is to measure individual student performance and make sure that every child has adequate

knowledge and skills by the time they graduate from high school; the second is to assess and publicly release school and

district performance ratings, holding school systems accountable for student achievement.

There is a lot of information on your test results, including your childs performance level (advanced, proficient, needs

improvement, or warning), his or her scaled scores (200 280), and a comparison of your childs scores with the average

scores of other students in the school, district, and state. Additionally, there is now a new growth model that compares

your students current performance to previous years. If you have questions about your childs MCAS results, please do

not hesitate to call your childs guidance counselor. You also can go online to the district web site and click on District

Assessment on the right-hand column for information around your childs scores.

Watertown Middle Schools scores continue to remain strong in most areas, especially when compared to years past. Inmathematics, 56% of our students scored in the proficient and advanced categories in 2010. Compare this to 53% in 2008

and 46% in 2006 and we see a four-year increase of 10%. In English Language Arts, 75% of our students scored in the

proficient and advanced categories in 2010. Compare this to 80% in 2008 and 71% in 2006 and you see a drop of 5% in

the last two years but a four-year gain of 4%. While math is improving steadily, we are concerned about the flattening outof our English scores.

Over the last four years we have made similar gains with our measured subgroups: English Language Learners, Special

Education students, low-income students, and Latino students. However, this year we were not able to meet all of our

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) goals, as we fell short with some of the subgroups. These AYP goals are difficult to

attain and get higher every year. Although we are significantly above state averages and show long-term improvement

with each of the identified subgroups, we still fell short of the AYP benchmarks last year.

As a school, we understand we still have much work to do. Although we have improved substantially over the last six

years, recent MCAS scores tell us that we need to push harder to continue to improve at the rate we are accustomed to.

We take this as a challenge. Specifically, we are working hard to engage all students at high levels, use real-time

assessment data to inform and improve instruction, and ensure that all of our students feel connected and safe so that they

can learn at their highest potential. Much of the credit for our long-term improvement goes to students and families.

Learning often does not come easily, and it is only through hard work, perseverance, and family support that our students

can attain higher achievement levels. Thank you for your support!

Best regards,

J. Kimo Carter, Principal

68 Waverly Ave, Watertown, MA 02472-3492 (617) 926-7783 Fax: (617) 926-5407Watertown Middle School

nn Koufman-Frederick, Ph.D. J. Kimo Carter, Principal

Superintendent [email protected]

Jason Del Porto, Asst. Principal

[email protected]


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Ann Koufman-Frederick, Ph.D. Steve Watson, HeadmasterSuperintendent [email protected]

Annmarie Boudreau, Associate Headmaster

[email protected]

September 23, 2010

Dear Parents and Guardians:


Assessment System) is a series of standardized tests designed to measure important skills and knowledge in selected

academic subjects: English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. The MCAS has two purposes: the first is to

measure individual student performance and make sure that every child has adequate knowledge and skills by the time

they graduate from high school; the second is to assess and publicly release school and district performance ratings,

holding school systems accountable for student achievement.

Watertown High School students take MCAS tests in English and math in the tenth grade. They also take science MCAS

tests in either the ninth or tenth grade, depending upon their course placement and readiness for assessment.

Massachusetts requires that all students earn passing scores on each of these tests in order to receive their high school

diploma. Students who receive failing marks on any test have several chances to retake exams before graduation. Students

who receive a needs improvement mark in English or math are put on an Educational Proficiency Plan (EPP) that

outlines the coursework a student requires to demonstrate sufficient skills before graduation.

I am pleased to report that Watertown High School again met all of our Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) goals this year.

In English Language Arts, 85% of our students scored in the Proficient or Advanced categories, and in Mathematics, 79%

of our students scored in the Proficient or Advanced categories. In tenth grade science (primarily biology), 69% of our

students scored in the Proficient or Advanced categories, but those numbers do not include students who already passedMCAS science exams in the ninth grade. Again, we tested a smaller number of students in ninth grade science (primarily

introductory physics), and of those 42 students, 91% scored in the Proficient or Advanced categories.

We will continue to examine our curriculum, teaching practices, and student services to determine how we can best

educate your children and inspire them toward greatness. MCAS scores are not the sole measure of a students or a

schools achievement level. Yet they are helpful indicators for schools and families alike, highlighting points of strength

and need.

There is a lot of information on your test results, including your childs performance level (advanced, proficient, needs

improvement, or warning), his or her scaled scores (200 280), and a comparison of your childs scores with the average

scores of other students in the school, district, and state. This years scores are also accompanied by a growth score, which

represents the states best early efforts to identify how much student scores have improved over time. If you havequestions about your childs MCAS results, please do not hesitate to call your childs guidance counselor. You also can

go online to the district web site and click on District Assessment on the right-hand column for information around your

childs scores. Thank you for your continued support as we work together to ensure that all our children are successful in

school.

Warmly,

Steve Watson

50 Columbia Street, Watertown, MA 02472-3492 (617) 926-7760 Fax: (617) 926-7723

Watertown Hi h School


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MCAS Letters 2010

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