WEST NEWBURY - Students with disabilities from the Pentucket Regional Middle School continue to fall below the target set by the state for MCAS performance in mathematics.
The state is requiring the middle school to implement a corrective action plan to address the issue, Assistant Superintendent William Hart said. The district must meet adequate yearly progress for this subgroup for two consecutive years in order to be taken off corrective action status.
He will make a presentation on the district's MCAS results at tonight's School Committee meeting at 7:30 in the high school cafeteria.
He said the district is taking a "very aggressive" approach to the problem. The school is reviewing its school improvement plan and method of analyzing data, making critical changes where necessary. Middle school teachers will receive professional development on teaching strategies for all types of learners, and students at risk are being identified and offered additional MCAS support during and after school. Services are based on family income level and academic achievement levels.
In addition, eligible students will be offered a state-approved alternative assessment method, said Hart, but he stressed that without the other changes, this alone will not solve the problem.
The state allows a small subset of special education students, those with the most significant disabilities, to participate in an alternative assessment method. Known as MCAS-Alt, it "consists of a portfolio of specific materials collected annually by the teacher and student. Evidence for the portfolio may include work samples, instructional data, videotapes and other supporting information," according to the state Department of Education.
All students educated with state funds, including those with disabilities, must either take the standard MCAS test, take the standard test with accommodations or use the alternative assessment method. The student's special education team relies on state guidelines to determine under which method each student is tested. About 1 percent of students statewide participate in the MCAS Alternate Assessment.
Hart said the district will work hard to help Pentucket's special education students meet the goals set by the state.
"We are committed to the idea that all students can learn and learn at high levels," he said.
The state is requiring the middle school to implement a corrective action plan to address the issue, Assistant Superintendent William Hart said. The district must meet adequate yearly progress for this subgroup for two consecutive years in order to be taken off corrective action status.
He will make a presentation on the district's MCAS results at tonight's School Committee meeting at 7:30 in the high school cafeteria.
He said the district is taking a "very aggressive" approach to the problem. The school is reviewing its school improvement plan and method of analyzing data, making critical changes where necessary. Middle school teachers will receive professional development on teaching strategies for all types of learners, and students at risk are being identified and offered additional MCAS support during and after school. Services are based on family income level and academic achievement levels.
In addition, eligible students will be offered a state-approved alternative assessment method, said Hart, but he stressed that without the other changes, this alone will not solve the problem.
The state allows a small subset of special education students, those with the most significant disabilities, to participate in an alternative assessment method. Known as MCAS-Alt, it "consists of a portfolio of specific materials collected annually by the teacher and student. Evidence for the portfolio may include work samples, instructional data, videotapes and other supporting information," according to the state Department of Education.
All students educated with state funds, including those with disabilities, must either take the standard MCAS test, take the standard test with accommodations or use the alternative assessment method. The student's special education team relies on state guidelines to determine under which method each student is tested. About 1 percent of students statewide participate in the MCAS Alternate Assessment.
Hart said the district will work hard to help Pentucket's special education students meet the goals set by the state.
"We are committed to the idea that all students can learn and learn at high levels," he said.
Pentucket's MCAS results can be accessed at http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/mcas.
MCAS results for 8th- through 10th-grade students
According to the state DOE Web site, Pentucket's eighth-grade students received the following MCAS results:
English
Group Advanced Proficient Needs Improvement Warning
SPED 0% 63% 30% 7%
OVERALL 14% 75% 10% 1%
Math
SPED 5% 9% 30% 56%
OVERALL 23% 29% 29% 19%
Science/Tech
SPED 0% 14% 53 % 33%
OVERALL 2% 37% 51% 10%
Students who fail MCAS in 10th grade have two years to pass it in order to be eligible for graduation. Pentucket's 10th-graders received the following MCAS results:
English
Group Advanced Proficient Needs Improvement Failed
SPED 0% 47% 41% 12%
OVERALL 28% 58% 12% 2%
Math
SPED 3% 21% 48% 27%
OVERALL 46% 30% 19% 5%
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