As a result of Conant and R.J. Grey being designated as schools that need improvement under NCLB for special education students in 2009, we’ve put together some basic information about MCAS and No Child Left Behind to help parents better understand the current designation.

As many of you know the Department of Education has recently introduced a new tool called a growth model  to help measure annual student/school/district growth via MCAS. This tool will provide more information regarding individual student growth each year as compared to a similar academic peer group across the state. In addition, growth model data (SGP) will provide more direct information about the effectiveness of individual teachers and specific curriculum over time. It is a powerful new tool that will complement the achievement/proficiency data (Annual Yearly Progress – AYP data) currently available. The documents below have information about both proficiency and growth model data for our districts, as well as general information about these two metrics.

• 2016 MCAS Analysis for the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District – an AB SpEd PAC report on ABRSD’s 2016 MCAS performance
• Acton Public School District’s 2012 MCAS performance – An ABSpEdPAC summary of the Acton Public School District’s 2012 MCAS performance
• AB Regional School District’s 2012 MCAS performance – REVISED 2/5/13 – An ABSpEdPAC summary of the AB Regional School District’s 2012 MCAS performance
• Meeting Summary and 2009 MCAS Performance of Special Education Students vs. Aggregate Student Population – An ABSpEdPAC summary of 2009 MCAS results across all grades in our districts
• What it Means to Be Identified as a School that “Needs Improvement” Under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) – Definition of MCAS terminology and ABSpEdPAC analysis of the 2009 AYP proficiency data for the elementary schools, junior high, and high school.
• Preliminary Analysis of MCAS Growth Model Data for APS Elementary Schools – An ABSpEdPAC analysis of 2009 growth model data for the elementary schools
• Preliminary Analysis of MCAS Growth Model Data for the Junior High School – An ABSpEdPAC analysis of 2009 growth model data for R. J. Grey Junior High School
• Preliminary Analysis of MCAS Growth Model Data for the High School – An ABSpEdPAC analysis of 2009 growth model data for the Acton-Boxborough Regional High School

• 2009-10 School and District NCLB Accountability Status and Required Actions – A Massachusetts Department of Education document describing the consequences school districts face if they fail to meet AYP goals
• Growth Model Pilot – A Massachusetts Department of Education document describing the development of the Growth Model
• Measuring Student Progress in Massachusetts – First Statewide Release of Growth Model Reports – A letter from the commissioner of the The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education introducing the Growth Model to school districts

• The Importance Of Including Growth Models In No Child Left Behind – Testimony before the Committee on Education and Labor Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education, on the importance of the Growth Model metric
• State Testing Evaluations: Their Value and Validity – 2007 report of The National Center for Learning Disabilities.