Tewksbury School Committee To Discuss MCAS Results Wednesday

TEWKSBURY, MA — The Tewksbury School Committee will discuss the district's 2021 MCAS results Wednesday, a day after the state released data showing Tewksbury, and students statewide, met expectations at a lower rate than their peers did in the years before the pandemic.

The percentage of Tewksbury students receiving a score of "meeting expectations" or higher dropped over 15 percent in the average test versus 2019, the most recent previous year the test was given after the exams were skipped in 2020 amid the sudden pivot to remote learning.

An update on the MCAS results is in the "new business" section of the agenda for Wednesday's 6 p.m. meeting.

The largest drop-off in Tewksbury was in fourth grade math. The percentage of 4th graders who met or exceeded expectations was 29 percent, down from 61 in 2019.

In math, the percentage of third through eighth grade students meeting or exceeding expectations fell from 55 percent in 2019 to 38 percent in 2021, while for the English Language Arts tests, it dropped from 62 percent in 2019 to 56 percent in 2021.

>>MCAS Results Show Slide In Scores During Pandemic

There was a smaller decline on the science tests, with 49 percent of fifth and eighth grade students meeting or beating expectations, versus 53 percent in 2019.

Among tenth graders, there was a fall in math performance but an improvement in English Language Arts. The percentage at least meeting expectations fell from 73 to 46 percent in math and rose from 69 to 71 percent in English Language Arts.

There were also improvements in third and fifth grade English.

Despite the decline, Tewksbury students still did better than the state as a whole. On the average test, 50 percent of Tewksbury students met or exceeded expectations, down from 60 percent in 2019.

Statewide, just 42 percent of students met or exceeded expectations on the average test, down from 51 percent in 2019.

While teachers unions and some advocates have called for pausing use of the MCAS tests or eliminating their use as a graduation requirement, Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday said he would be "very aggressive about supporting the ongoing process of using diagnostic tools to ensure that kids are getting the basic education that they're entitled to."

Families will receive their child's MCAS scores after Sept. 30, the education department said.

The 2021 tests for third through eighth grades were shorter than usual, a factor the department said can cause individual student performance to vary.

Materials from State House News Service were used in this report.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.