State approves new MCAS score appeals process; test results coming next week

LYNN – The state Board of Elementary and Secondary education Wednesday approved a new appeals process for high school students who fail the science portion of the MCAS exam when it becomes a graduation requirement in two years.Students are already taking a version of the science portion of the state-mandated exam, but it will not become a graduation requirement to pass that exam until 2010. High school students have had to pass the math and English/language arts exams since 2003.The new process will allow students who fail their first attempt at the exam to send an appeal to the state. Those students who are granted the appeal would then have to enroll in and pass an equivalent science course during that same year and maintain a 95 percent attendance rate in that course.The appeals process differs slightly from the math and English/language arts appeals, where students must fail the exam three times before they are eligible to file an appeal with the state.The appeals process exists for students who keep up the grades needed to graduate, but for a variety of reasons may struggle passing the MCAS exam itself.Students must achieve a score of 220 points on the English and math portions of the exam to pass, but the state requires students who score under 240 on those tests to enter a proficiency program before graduation.Those same requirements will apply to the science portion of the exam in 2010. The state will add a U.S. history portion to its standardized testing repertoire in 2012.The appeals decision comes one week before the results of the 2008 MCAS exams are to be released to the public. Over a quarter of high school students failed the science exam in 2007, according to the board’s Web site.The release of the MCAS results this month will also bring about changes in the way tests are scored. The state education board has placed an embargo on all MCAS scores and scoring information until the official release next week.Superintendent of Schools Nicholas Kostan declined comment on the MCAS results last week, citing that embargo.