WESTFIELD – Grade 11 students — the Class of 2022 – who were previously scheduled to take the MCAS test in January andFebruary will no longer participate in this testing window, according to a memo from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Testing for this class in English Language Arts (ELA) and math is being postponed until later in the year.
Grade 12 students — the Class of 2021 – as well as adult test-takers, will remain eligible to participate in one or both tests beginning in January to earn their competency determination (CD). The memo also stated that currently enrolled 12th grade students who were previously on track to graduate during the 2019-2020 school year do not need to take the tests, as they remain eligible for the
modified CD.
The testing window for eligible students is extended through Feb. 12, giving schools an
additional week to complete testing. The full testing window will be Jan. 14 through
Feb. 12, 2021.
Also being extended is the testing window for ACCESS tests. Schools will be able to administer these tests anytime between Jan. 7 and May 20. Results to be returned in late summer, regardless of when the test is administered.
“As a district, we are relieved by the temporary reprieve for MCAS testing and extended testing windows for ACCESS. Scheduling these tests has been challenging given that one out of every four students in the district are fully remote learners,” said Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski about the delays.
Czaporowski said that for now, MCAS testing for grade 10 students — the Class of 2023 – is still on schedule, although it wasn’t addressed in Monday’s memo from DESE.
