We think state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley is right on the mark when he underscored why it is so important for public school students to take the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests this year.
Citing a national study concluding that public school shifts to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic “set back all students’ academic progress by months,” Riley said MCAS testing will provide “critical insight into academic losses that need to be addressed this spring and summer.”
That’s not welcome news to public school educators who have largely opposed MCAS since its introduction in 1993 as a centerpiece of the state Education Reform Law. It’s critics say MCAS forces teachers to “teach to the test” and they complain the test stresses out students and fails to factor socioeconomic and emotional factors that impair students’ learning ability.
School superintendents juggling remote, hybrid and in-person learning plans necessitated by COVID-19 social distancing precautions have amplified these objections with Lynn Superintendent Dr. Patrick Tutwiler saying, “I don’t think a student’s first experience back in school should be centered around testing.”
We respectfully but emphatically disagree.
Administering MCAS this spring provides a measuring stick for academic setbacks in public schools and a gauge providing critical information on what steps local schools, guided by the state, must take to make up lost ground.
“The magnitude of this potential impact demands that we accurately and fairly assess the level of student learning this school year,” stated Riley.
Peabody Superintendent Dr. Josh Vadala said it will be hard to administer MCAS during a school year “fragmented” by COVID-19 disruptions. Riley and his staff have made accommodations for Vadala’s and other superintendents’ concerns by significantly adjusting the testing requirement for high school seniors and streamlining testing for students in grades 3-8.
The state is also extending the testing period for the important ACCESS English language proficiency test. Last but not least, no school district will be labeled “underperforming” based on MCAS results.
That waiver alone should provide significant relief to superintendents. In the meantime, we urge them to rally their teachers and administrators to embrace Riley’s perspective on MCAS and ensure parents and students understand how important it is to measure learning loss for students who have endured remote learning.
Lessons provided by the test results will help students and school districts get back on a smooth education track that much quicker once vaccinations are completed and remote learning orders lifted.
