Director of Assessment and Accountability Denise Ruszala speaks to the School Committee about the MCAS Monday.
WESTFIELD – Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski and Director of Assessment and Accountability Denise Ruszala gave a report on accountability ratings in the schools at Monday’s School Committee meeting. Since last year was a bridge year from the Legacy MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) to the Next Generation MCAS, an online test, the schools statewide were not rated on the results of the tests. Ruszala said the results from Westfield mirrored the state results for the more “robust” exam.
10th graders will take the Legacy MCAS test, and will be the last group to do so, Ruszala said. Passing the MCAS is a requirement for graduation. In addition, 25% of 10th graders will also pilot the Next Generation test. The pilot will have 25% of students in Westfield High School taking English language arts, and 25% in Westfield Technical Academy taking math. Pilot scores will not be released.
Ruszala said a different measure will be used to interpret the results of the Next Generation MCAS, and will be based on a more rigorous standard, with 2017 as a baseline year. The state will also be discontinuing the ranking system of levels for schools.
Diaz asked what level students will need to achieve in the Next Generation MCAS to graduate. Ruszala said that requirement has not yet been released.
Currently, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has an acting commissioner, Jeff Wulfson, since the passing of former commissioner Mitchell Chester in June of 2017.
Czaporowski said participation is also a factor in rating schools for MCAS. Ruszala said schools below 90% participation were previously placed in Level 3. She said the high schools are hovering between 96% and 100% participation.
Ruszala said the data collected in the MCAS tests is used for making instructional decisions, and to gauge the district’s strengths and weaknesses.
“Students don’t fear online testing – it is their world, and they’re very comfortable,” Ruszala said. She recommended that parents encourage their students to participate in the MCAS practice tests online, as well as the MCAS questions of the day. “Challenge your child,” Ruszala said.
Data on Westfield may be found at profiles.doe.mass.edu. More information, as well as the question of the day, may be found at www.doe.mass.edu/mcas. The test schedules for MCAS are posted on the district website.
The School Committee also considered school choice into Westfield for the 2018-2019 academic year. A motion was made and passed to not offer school choice for grades K-4. Czaporowski said because of the redistricting changes that are being made, they would like to settle the schools for one year. He said they will also limit intra-district transfers to those already made. He said the one exception will be for siblings, because he doesn’t want parents to have to drop off students at two different elementary schools.
Czaporowski said the district will offer school choice in the higher grades, with ten openings in Grade 5, four openings in Grade 6, ten openings in Grade 7 and six openings in Grade 8. Westfield High School has 45 openings, which is up about 20 slots, Czaporowski said, adding that there will be more room in the high school as internships and job shadowing opportunities increase.
