The MCAS was designed to measure how well students, schools, and districts are performing on the state's learning standards contained in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. These graphs show the growth for the same group of students who were in our school for the entire 1999-2000 school year. At the elementary or middle school level, a gain of 20 to 25 points in reading or mathematics is considered strong improvement. At the high school level, a gain of 10 to 15 points is considered strong improvement. The Marshall School believes that data collected on a regular basis provides meaningful information for teachers.
Information guides instruction.
We will analyze the MCAS questions provided by the State to guide our deceisions concerning what children need to know and to be able to do at each grade level. The Marshall School is committed to ensuring that all 3rd grade students are performing on grade level by the end of the year. All students in the 3rd grade, performing below grade level in Reading and Math, are provided with small group instruction. In Reading, Literacy Specialists provide daily direct instruction. Students are assessed every six weeks.