Where MCAS Shows Improvement In Waltham Schools

WALTHAM, MA — The new accountability system that aims to be more comprehensive in evaluating how schools and districts are doing when it comes to Math and ELA was just released. Scores are out, including how Waltham did, but because of the new grading method, the MCAS scores don't look much like they used to.

For those interested in the break down and complete explanation, Waltham Public Schools will present the MCAS 2.0 results on Oct. 3 at the School Committee meeting.

State officials say because of the transition this year's results are meant to be more of a baseline than something to compare to previous years. But results appear to show Waltham has made improvements when it comes to Elementary English Language Arts and Middle School math.

Stanley Elementary School was one of 50 schools in the state that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education was named a School of Recognition. The DESE defines Schools of Recognition as “schools demonstrating high achievement, significant improvement or high growth.”

And Whittemore and Stanley were the highest-performing schools in Waltham in Spring 2018, when it comes to ELA programs.

Echelson said he's cautiously optimistic about what the results show about the district.

"Though Waltham Public Schools are pleased to see that focused efforts in some areas are showing a strong return on investments and resources, we are cognizant that we face a number of challenges as a system,"he said in an email.

Key among those challenges: addressing performance and growth in elementary mathematics throughout the system and addressing achievement gaps, he said.

"We are taking many steps in the 2018-19 school year to ensure we are meeting the needs of our vulnerable subgroups," he said.

Part of that involves the new summer AP program at the high school and part is packed into the new education plan.

But Waltham schools haven't done excellent when compared to the rest of the state, traditionally and district officials recognize this.

"The Waltham Public Schools has been concerned about the gap in performance for our students compared to state averages and has worked tirelessly to eliminate this gap with the state," according to Echelson.

To that end, there's been progress. His office points to examples:

● McDevitt outpaces state in ELA overall
● Kennedy matches state in ELA, outpaces in Math
● Plympton outpaces state in Math
● FitzGerald outpaces state in Math, ELA
● Kennedy and McDevitt outpace state in Science

The district also points to what it calls evidence of gap closing with the state at the following grade levels:
● Stanley Grade 5 outpaces state in ELA
● FitzGerald every grade outpaces state in ELA
● FitzGerald Grade 3 outpaces state in Math
● Plympton Grade 4 outpaces state in Math
● McDevitt Grade 6 outpaces state in ELA and Math
● McDevitt Grade 7 outpaces state in Math
● McDevitt Grade 8 matches state in ELA, outpaces in science
● Kennedy Grade 6 outpaces state in ELA and Math
● Kennedy Grade 7 outpaces state in ELA
● Kennedy Grade 8 outpaces state in Math and matches in Science

"We are encouraging schools and academic subject areas to engage in thorough and honest analyses of the ways in which our 2018 MCAS performance demonstrates the need for attention to historically disadvantaged subgroups and are pursuing initiatives and partnerships that will allow us to provide an excellent educational opportunity that allows ALL students to access and engage in rigorous academic content," Echelson wrote.

Want a full break out? Check out the Next-gen scores here, which are graded different than the Legacy scores. And here's the state accountability assessment.

Room for improvement

Waltham fell under the state average on expectations in Grade 3 Reading, Grade 4 language arts and math, grade 5 English language arts and math, Grade 6 Math, Grade 7 language arts and math and Grade 8 English language arts:

Read more about the entire switch up here: 2018 MCAS Scores Are New Accountability Test

>>>Related: 30 School Districts Need Support, Assistance

Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch Staff