Watertown Ahead of the State on MCAS Scores

Progress continues to be made by Watertown students on the MCAS test with the district's average scores remaining above the state average, Superintendent Ann Koufman-Frederick said.

Middle school scores took a bit of a dip, but Koufman Frederick said she was pleased with what she saw in the 10th grade.

"In sixth and seventh grade Watertown is slightly above the state (average)," Koufman said. "It dips in eighth grade, but in high school Watertown overtakes the state. That is important because the 10th grade scores count for graduation."

Students receiving scores in the Advanced and Proficient categories are considered to have met the state standards. Those in Needs Improvement or Warning categories have not met the standards set out in the MCAS test. The test is based on the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks – the standards adopted by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

In 10th grade, 88 percent of Watertown students were in either Proficient or Advanced categories in English Language Arts (ELA) and 83 percent in math. Statewide the averages were 78 and 75 respectively.

Watertown Middle School Principal Kimo Carter said most years the scores for the same group of students improve as they move through the middle school, but last year's eighth-graders did not have that progress.

"We need to look at that," Carter said. "It is troubling to me. I want to see growth as they go through the grades at the middle school."

The younger students have also made progress, Koufman-Ferderick said.

"Third-graders now score above the average in the state," Koufman-Frederick said. "That's good news. We have been targeting literacy in the early grades."

Watertown's progress over the years has been steady, Koufman said.

"The high school English Language Arts has gone from 35 percent Proficient or higher to 88 percent over 12 years – a 53 (percentage point) change," Koufman said. "In math, we made a 60 (percentage) point change, which is quite a lot."

School Committee member Eileen Hsu-Balzer said the progress looked good, but she wants to see the district work on its weaknesses.

"We need to figure out what the gaps are, and how to fill the gaps," Hsu-Balzer said. "We need to find out how to wrap in (to instruction) what we learned from the scores."

The presentation is the first of three, Koufman-Frederick said. In November she will report about the district's SAT and AP scores, along with more details about the MCAS. In December, the report will focus on Watertown's progress on the test.

More detailed information about Watertown's MCAS scores can be found on the Watertown Public School's assessment Web page.