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MCAS Data is Fundamental for Education Excellence and an Equitable Recovery

May 7, 2021

May 7, 2021

New Policy Brief: MCAS Data is Fundamental for Education Excellence and an Equitable Recovery

The Chamber, in partnership with the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE), published a new policy brief titled MCAS Data is Fundamental for Education Excellence and an Equitable Recovery. 

Objective and comparable data are required to measure Massachusetts’ progress on meeting the state’s goals for education equity and excellence. In Massachusetts, students in grades 3-8 and 10 take MCAS assessments in English language arts and math. Students in fifth, eighth, and ninth grade also take the MCAS in science. Taking MCAS only accounts for 1% of class time each year, but provides critical information on what students need, what instruction methods are working, and how well we are meeting goals for equity and improvement. Without Massachusetts-specific data, attainable only by MCAS assessment results, parents are not guaranteed information on whether their child is on track, while schools and districts will not know what degree of learning acceleration is needed and where the influx of federal resources should be prioritized.

Further, the MCAS is essential because:

  • It measures whether students are on track for future college and career success: a recent study from Brown University shows that MCAS results are predictive of post-secondary degree attainment and labor market success.
  • It measures students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are essential in the 21st century workplace.
  • It identifies students who need extra support on specific subjects or concepts.
  • It provides objective information to parents about whether their child is meeting grade-level expectations.
  • It provides teachers with feedback on the impact of their instruction.
  • It helps school and district leaders assess their progress toward student achievement goals and target resources – funding, time, and talent – based on which schools or student groups need more support.
  • It helps state education leaders identify schools and districts that need more resources, including targeted funds, professional development, and academic or mental health supports for students.
  • It shows state legislators if Massachusetts’ investment in K-12 education is shrinking student achievement gaps.

Learn more about the how MCAS promotes equity in education and why we need it in 2021 by reading the Chamber and MBAE’s Policy Brief: MCAS Data is Fundamental for Education Excellence and an Equitable Recovery.

 

Op-ed: We need MCAS data to drive equitable educational recovery

The Chamber’s CEO, Jim Rooney, and the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education’s Executive Director, Ed Lambert, recently co-authored an op-ed in the Boston Business Journal titled “We need MCAS data to drive equitable educational recovery.” Rooney and Lambert explain that inequities would remain hidden without data from MCAS and how this student assessment is critical for the future of our K-12 education.

 

Other Recent Chamber Activity on the MCAS 

  • In January 2021, the Chamber joined other business and education leaders in submitting a letter to legislators urging for the continuation of student assessments.
  • In August 2020, the Chamber submitted testimony to the Chairs of the Joint Committee on Education opposing S.2814, An Act Responding to the COVID-19 Emergency by Instituting a Moratorium of the MCAS. School closures due to the pandemic only intensified the need for statewide assessments to learn the extent to which the crisis has impacted students’ learning.

James Sutherland, PhD

Director of Policy & Research

[email protected]
617-557-7312

Download the MCAS Brief

Download

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