MARBLEHEAD — Although the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) will no longer be a graduation requirement, Marblehead Public Schools (MPS) are still among the highest-scored school systems in the state.
The MCAS exams assist educators and administrations in understanding student performance in math, English language arts (ELA), and science. The grades tested are 3 through 8 and also grade 10, every grade is tested in math and ELA while science is only in grades 5, 8, and 10.
Principals from each of the Marblehead schools discussed in last spring’s results, including gap areas and how they can be improved.
Overall, for ELA, 60% of students are meeting and exceeding the proficiency standards, a plus-18% higher than the state average. In math, MPS showed a plus-21% higher than the state average, now in the upward trend of achievement four years into the new math curricula. In science, MPS is 18% higher than the state average while students continue to engage in curriculum review processes this year.
Each of the three statistics indicates the need for MPS to maintain the momentum and the strategies in place for sustaining the success of students, but also that there is room for improvement. School Committee Co-Chair Sarah Fox and member Allison Taylor did point out the high need for improvement, and Taylor pointed out that only 52% of fifth graders are meeting and exceeding, leaving 48% not even meeting the standard.
While analyzing the data Fox pointed out a trend with both ELA and math.
“It’s still that 4, 5, 6 grouping that seems to be where we are closest to the state average, that seems to be a trend in both math and ELA,” she said.
Fox then mentioned the eighth grade being the highest differential from the state average and she emphasized that the eighth grade is doing something that grades 4, 5, and 6 are not.
While MCAS only occurs once a year, the MPS district continues to utilize different tools like iReady, IXL, and mCLASS (DIBELS) which help assess data of students meeting or exceeding expectations. This allows educators to monitor the data much more efficiently and prepare them to meet or exceed the performance expectations on future assessments.
The Brown School’s strengths consisted of being in the top 14% of kindergarten through grade 3 (K-3) schools in ELA and the top 25% of K-3 schools in math. The students are also significantly and consistently above the state average, in ELA moving from 45% to 64%, and in math moving from 45% to 61% of students meeting or exceeding.
One statistic that stood out to Fox was that the English Learners subgroup, those where the English language is not their native language, are consistently outperforming the non-English Learners. In ELA they are 67% meeting and exceeding and in math, they are 70%.
Fox’s concern was surrounding the fact that it tends to be more difficult for English Learners because they are not only learning the subject matter but also the language and they are still outperforming the native English speakers.
Brown School Principal Mary Maxfield countered Fox’s concern with the explanation that the sample group for English Learners is only coming from about 8-10 students as opposed to non-English Learners at about 100 students. Maxfield also explained the two data samples were not comparative since the sample groups were numerically different.
At the Glover School in math, students had a 12% growth for meeting and exceeding from 2021 to 2024, and a 7% increase for students who identify as high-needs learners. Glover is top 30% of K-3 schools in math. In ELA, Glover increased 9% between 2022 and 2024 and is a top 16% of K-3 schools in ELA.
At the Village School, grades 4-6, the students showed growth in both ELA and math subjects. For math, in grade 4 students showed a 10% growth, and in grade 6, a 12% growth. In ELA, in grade 5 students had a 6% increase and an 11% increase in their essay writing. In grade 5, students had a 12% increase in ELA.
At the Veterans Middle School, the entire school tied for seventh highest in the state for percentage of cumulative progress towards goals with 87%. Students are fourth highest in the state for annual progress towards goals at 94%. The average student growth percentage lands Veterans for 18th highest in the state for ELA and 10th highest for math.
As for specific grades or subject strengths, Veterans ranked No. 1 for the special education subgroup student growth percentage.
Veterans Middle School Principal said “If you can say you are No. 1 in the state at something you should say it six times. Our special education subgroup and eighth-grade ELA was number one in the state for growth. Our student growth percentiles outgrew every other middle school in the state.”
At Marblehead High School, for ELA, students are in the top 16% of all high schools in the state at 76% above average. In math, the top 11% of high schools in the state at 76% above average, and in science the top 13% of high schools at 74% above average.
While the exam is no longer a requirement for students to pass to graduate, it is reassuring to know Marblehead Public School students are receiving among the top education in the state.
