Medford High School Gets New MCAS Testing System Approved

MEDFORD, MA — The School Committee voted unanimously to approve a new pilot that will change the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System testing in the district as soon as this year during its most recent meeting.

“MCAS may not be a requirement for graduation, but it is still our measure for accountability per the Department of Education,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Suzanne Galusi said during the meeting. “So it does matter how students are performing and it is a good measure for us to determine how grade level standards are being met here.”

Medford High School Principal Marta Cabral and Assistant Principal Dave Blauch presented the pilot program to the Committee Monday night, which features the implementation of a late-start on the testing days for non-testing students to allow for the school to focus on the testing period and normal classes separately, instead of trying to do both at the same time.

“For a very long time ever really since MCAS began we have done MCAS where we run it but we also run school,” Blauch said. “So this is a way of trying to run MCAS and prioritize it and modify the school experience for other students who are not testing in order to optimize the MCAS experience for those who are.”

Blauch named five reasons for the change, which applies only to the sophomore students who are scheduled to take mathematics exams on May 19 and 20. The five rationale points were to ensure a secure, quiet and optimal testing environment, maximizing student performance while simultaneously reducing stress, Help with staffing and operational efficiency, having non-testing students not be relocated from their traditional classrooms and in turn not having the testing students miss lessons, and the fact that this model has successfully been used in other neighboring districts with success.

“What we hope the outcome is of all this is that we will see improved testing conditions and improved test performance,” Blauch said.

Despite Committee members expressing overall support for the pilot program, their feedback included disdain for the MCAS testing system overall and desire to see how the test scores improve after this new method is installed.

“I’m wondering if there’s a component of de-incentivizing taking the MCAS when the alternative is to have a half-day and do team building,” Committee Member Erika Reinfeld said.

Cabral said the opt-out numbers are very low among tenth graders, and those who opt out are rarely absent on the same day.

See Also:

1 Person Injured In Medford House Fire

Medford Launching City Beautification Initiatives For Spring 2026

MBTA Police Believe Criminal Charges Warranted For Driver Of Medford Bus Crash

Small Owl Found Injured In Medford

2 Arrested After Physical Altercation And Stabbing In Medford

Malden Teacher And Coach Charged With Rape Pleads Not Guilty

High-end Food Purveyor Coming To Medford

Vehicle Crashes Into Medford Donut Shop