Kostan: Lynn’s MCAS scores in line with state

LYNN – Superintendent Nicholas Kostan and his staff are still trying to decode the most recent MCAS puzzle released to the public this week, but took the time to highlight some schools that made gains on the test.
Speaking to the School Committee Thursday, Kostan reiterated that local scores were in line with state averages and said he and his staff would work with superintendents from other communities in an effort to figure out what happened at the elementary school level, where scores dipped across the board.
“We were initially very concerned with grades three, four and five because it showed a definite decline in many schools that have been our top performing schools in past years,” he said. “But when the state came out with its analysis of the scores they showed that the number of students in grades three, four and five scoring proficient or advance declined across the state. Why the elementary scores were so low statewide, I do not know. Some feel this test was particularly hard, maybe there were gaps in our curriculum.”
State Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester said that because of the increase in federal No Child Left Behind requirements that it is “not surprising” to see schools’ scores decline.
Statewide, the percentage of schools that met state-set performance targets known as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) was down from 61 percent to 50 percent from 2007, and the percentage of urban schools meeting AYP dropped as well, from 26 to 18 percent.
Kostan did take the time to identify schools that made gains that may have been lost in the confusing shuffle that is MCAS scores and AYP.The district as a whole made AYP in English Language Arts (ELA) and math and high schools scores increased at a very high level.
Marshall Middle School made AYP in ELA for the first time in five years and showed increases in all areas of improvement, including among it’s black and Asian students, who are considered part of different subgroups.
“They have done a terrific job over there under (Principal) Rich Cowdell,” Kostan said. “They improved in all of the subgroups in math. They are making good progress.”
Other schools that scored well included the Aborn, which scored high in ELA and math, Breed, where students performed high in math while students at the Shoemaker, Sisson, Lincoln-Thompson, Ford, Pickering, Sewell-Anderson and Tracy schools all performed either high or very high in one or both of the test subjects in the aggregate category.
Overall, the high school passing rates were up in ELA from 85 percent in 2006 to 91 percent last year and up from 75 percent to 85 percent in math.
“The high schools did particularly well,” Kostan said. “We still have a long way to go. We need to find out what happened at the elementary schools.”
Kostan is expected to give a detailed MCAS presentation at the next School Committee meeting Oct. 16.