Salem's 2016 MCAS Scores Down from Last Year

SALEM, MA — The 2016 MCAS results are in and Salem's scores were lower than 2015's results. Below are the results for the 10th-grade tests in math, English, and Science.

• English: 86 percent of Salem students scored proficiently or higher in English Language Arts, an increase of 4 percentage points from 82 percent last year but was lower than the state benchmark of 91 percent. 50 percent of students received advanced scores
• Math: 56 percent of Salem students scored proficiently or higher in Math, representing a decrease of 11 percentage points over 2015's score of 67 percent, and lower than the 78 percent statewide benchmark. 32 percent of students received advanced scores
• Science and Technology: 56 percent of Salem students scored proficiently or higher in Science, Technology and Engineering, representative of a five percent decrease over 2015's score of 61 and a 17 percent disadvantage over the state average of 73 percent. 24 percent of students received advanced scores.

Bentley Academy Charter School in Salem narrowly improved enough to avoid the "underperforming" label this year.

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 mandates that every student be proficient in English language arts and math by 2014. In Massachusetts, this proficiency is measured by the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS).

A school must improve in proficiency each year based on adequate yearly progress (AYP). In Massachusetts, AYP is determined by student performance on various parts of the MCAS. All data used in this article is from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Image via Shutterstock