To MCAS or To PARCC? That Is the Question

HAMILTON-WENHAM, MA - Superintendent Michael Harvey will soon offer a recommendation to the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School Committee as to whether students should continue to take MCAS or transition to PARCC in 2016.

In mid-November, the Massachusetts Board of Education voted to create a new hybrid assessment test for students that will combine parts of the MCAS test and parts of PARCC. The decision came after the 2015 cycle of testing in which districts throughout the state could decide whether to administer the MCAS test or the PARCC test; HWRSD administered the MCAS test, as per usual, making it part of the 46 percent of districts in the state that decided to stick with the old test, according to a recent report Harvey gave to school committee members.

Because of that decision, Harvey explained, the district now has the option of continuing to administer MCAS in 2016 or switching over and administering PARCC ahead of the state board of education’s mandate that a new hybrid test be administered throughout the state in 2017.

“Choosing the MCAS test for 2016 would seem to be the most straightforward option for the HWRSD as there would be minimal changes for students in terms of test format and administration procedures,” Harvey wrote in his update of the report he gave at the Dec. 3 school committee meeting. He went on to acknowledge, however, that the state commissioner of education recommended districts opt to take the PARCC test in order to prepare students for the hybrid test which will look similar to PARCC in terms of overall format and test items.

The state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education set a deadline of Dec. 18 for districts to make a decision regarding the 2016 test. Harvey plans to offer his final recommendation on the topic to the school committee at its Dec. 17 meeting.

The superintendent is inviting parental feedback and asked that parents either leave comments on his blog or email him directly at m.harvey@hwschools.net.

>>> What do you think? Should HWRSD students take the MCAS or PARCC test in 2016?