The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released district test results for students who took the national Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exam in spring 2015. Statewide, a smaller percentage of students reached PARCC’s “meeting expectations” than met the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) “proficiency standard,” according to the press release. On the Vineyard, however, students generally did as well as, or better than, their peers statewide.
Last spring, the second year of a two-year pilot program, school districts had the choice to administer either the PARCC or the MCAS. Martha’s Vineyard schools opted to participate in a PARCC pilot program, which did not count toward school accountability scores, and administered the test to all Island elementary school students in third through eighth grade.
Although the school accountability ratings will not be released until the end of this month, Island-wide PARCC scores were similar to MCAS scores from the past. In general, students performed strongly across the board — with a few highs and a few lows.
School results vary
At the Tisbury School, for example, 100 percent of students in the eighth grade met expectations on the Algebra 1 test. However, only 45 percent of students in the sixth grade met or exceeded expectations on the English and language arts (ELA) exam, compared with 60 percent statewide.
At the West Tisbury School, eighth grade students scored lower than the state averages on both ELA and math, with 48 and 41 percent meeting or exceeding expectations, compared with 64 and 53 percent statewide. Ninety-three percent of third graders met expectations in math, compared with 55 percent at the state level.
In Edgartown, scores were comparable to states results, with one exception. A low 18 percent of fourth graders met expectations in math, compared with 48 percent at the state level.
Scores were also generally high at Chilmark School, with one exception. Fifth grade math and ELA scores were slightly lower than the state’s, with 50 and 40 percent meeting expectations, compared with 63 and 55 percent at the state level.
Oak Bluffs School saw a high performance in eighth grade Algebra 1, with 90 percent of students meeting or exceeding expectations, and a low performance in fifth grade math, with only 15 percent of students meeting expectations.
At the Martha’s Vineyard Charter School, all grade levels met or exceeded state scores across the board.
Island-wide, in the “All elementary school and middle school grades” category in ELA and math, total scores were higher than the state, except for Chilmark School in math, which was only slightly lower.
The results come at a pivotal time as state school officials prepare to vote on Nov. 17 whether to maintain the long-used MCAS or switch to the national PARCC exam.
The key difference between the two assessments is that PARCC is aligned with federal Common Core measurements in math and English, which set clear standards for what students should be able to do in the two subjects by each grade level. The MCAS is aligned with student performance according to state education standards for all subjects.
The MCAS is a paper-and-pencil exam. If implemented statewide, PARCC tests would be administered on tablets or computers. MCAS are administered once in March for ELA and in May for math and science subjects. PARCC tests are administered twice a year. ELA and math are evaluated as a set in March and in May. The PARCC, known to be a more rigorous exam, puts a strong emphasis on writing to demonstrate understanding.
Pleasing performance
Tuesday, Assistant Superintendent of Schools Richie Smith said he was “very pleased” with the overall performance of the Island schools.
“I’m happy because in all testing populations against the state we outperformed, or we were right at the state level,” Mr. Smith said. “I feel very good about that — relieved might be a good word — but also encouraged at this assessment being an appropriate assessment.”
He said it was good to see the Island perform so well, even with students knowing the scores during the pilot program would have no effect on their, or the school’s, rating. Mr. Smith had a particularly close experience with the exam as the Oak Bluffs principal last year.
“I started by saying, ‘This test does not count. It will not reflect in any way against you or the school. We’re a Level 1 school, and will be a Level 1 school regardless of how we perform on the PARCC. So with that said, I don’t care what you achieve on the PARCC, I only care that you try your best,’” he said.
That attempt to lower performance anxiety did change the exam conditions for students, he said. Instead, the goal was to have students interact with the test, in the case that the state votes to fully implement PARCC next year.
Looking at the trial-run results, Mr. Smith said he is optimistic about future Island scores if the state moves forward with PARCC. He sees this year’s scores as a baseline to grow from.
“I feel like we’ll only get better year-to-year,” he said. “It being a rigorous test, we’re going to start in our first year closer to the state average. But we’ll separate from the state average.”
With both the MCAS and the PARCC, schools are evaluated on a scale from one to five, based on state testing scores, with the highest-performing in Level 1 and lowest-performing in Level 5.
Last year Oak Bluffs, Edgartown, and Chilmark were Level 1. Tisbury, West Tisbury, and the Charter School were Level 2, meaning they still had to meet gap-narrowing goals. Mr. Smith said that given some of the strong performances by Level 2 schools, there is the possibility of some schools moving up to Level 1.
That doesn’t mean the administration has overlooked the lower scores, however.
“There are some areas where we go, ‘OK, we might be lower,’ from grade level to grade level against the state,” Mr. Smith said. “Those are areas that we obviously look at more, and look to see if it’s Island-wide or isolated to a school.” But, he said, the lower PARCC scores will be treated the same as lower MCAS scores have in the past.
“What can we control? What variables can we control? How can we improve?” he said. “Each year, whether we’re strong or we’ve got areas that concern us, we look at it the same way. We won’t change our practice in that way.”
There are also concerns that given the PARCC’s high standards, schools and teachers may begin catering education toward test performance: teaching to the test.
Although Mr. Smith acknowledged there is some truth to that, teachers will not alter the content that is taught, he said. Instead, the framework in which the content is taught can be catered toward preparing for the test. For example, with the knowledge that PARCC emphasizes writing, students will be prepped in school to write and demonstrate understanding.
If the state ultimately votes to implement PARCC, Mr. Smith said, the change won’t come without a transitional period. The challenge will be in controlling student anxiety when the exam actually does affect school accountability ratings, he said.
“When MCAS was first brought out in the late ’90s, and then fully in the 2000s, there was a learning curve in the first three years,” he said. “I think we’ll experience that.”
But the Island is ready if it comes to that, he said.
“It was a high-performing Island with MCAS, but not knowing what the results were going to be with PARCC, I was anxious, as were most of the school leaders,” he said. “Seeing them now, I feel very strong about PARCC being an assessment that will properly show what we’re doing.”
Commissioner chimes in
On Oct. 20, state Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester sent a letter to superintendents, charter school leaders, and principals outlining the upcoming MCAS-versus-PARCC vote. He said that the decision may include a third option, which he termed “MCAS 2.0” — taking what’s good about the MCAS and updating it with the effort invested in PARCC.
He said the MCAS has served the commonwealth well. “Now that we have the benefit of two decades of experience and have upgraded our curriculum frameworks and content standards, it is time to upgrade our assessment,” he said.
The PARCC is a stronger assessment and sets a higher bar for students than the MCAS, he said. He said the PARCC’s online format also “mirrors the digital world that is ubiquitous in students’ lives and futures.”
The final point he made regarded the MCAS 2.0. “To be confident that we exercise ultimate agency over the direction of the commonwealth’s assessment program, I am considering options for taking advantage of our access to PARCC to build MCAS 2.0,” he said.