[not sure of the accuracy of this article- web master]

MCAS new requirement for college

By Laura Crimaldi
Tuesday, April 30, 2002

Officials at local colleges say next year's high school seniors need to pass the
MCAS or win an appeal of the statewide test if they want to go on to higher
education.

"We'll be holding to that," said Philip Dooher, dean of admissions and vice
president of enrollment management at Framingham State College.

Though more than 90 percent of current 11th-graders at most area schools
have passed the high-stakes Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment
System test based on December retest results revealed last week, those who
failed have three more chances to pass the exam and earn a state-certified
high school diploma.

It's this state-certified high school diploma that officials at FSC and Dean
College in Franklin say they will require as part of the criteria for acceptance.

"We'd still be looking at the whole picture of the student, and the MCAS would
be something we'd be looking at," said Kathleen Lynch, dean of admissions
at Dean College.

A student must score 220 on the test's math and English portions to pass the
exam. Next year's seniors are the first students required to pass the exam by
the state to graduate.

Without a passing score for both sections, students may petition for a high
school diploma under a strict appeals process which would clear the way for
their graduation. Local school officials, however, hope to avoid the appeal process at all costs.

"What we want is the kids to pass at 220," said Milford School Superintendent Robert J. Berardi.

Eighty percent of Milford's current 11th-graders have passed the test's English and math portions, according to state Department of Education figures.

The remaining 20 percent have three more chances to pass the exam before next June.

The next round of MCAS testing begins next month, and many area students have been working with tutors to prep for the exam.

"Most of the kids that failed only failed by two points. We think now the kids really know what to expect," said Sandra Esterson, director of curriculum and professional development for the Bellingham School Department.

Bellingham students will get more pointers Thursday, when Charlie Ahearn of the Summit Educational Group in Cambridge talks to high school students about standardized test-taking tips.

Half of the current 11th-graders who failed the English portion last spring passed the December focused retest, Esterson said. Twenty-five percent of students who failed the math section, passed the second time around.

Overall, 136 of the 176 students in Bellingham's Class of 2003 have passed both sections of the exam.

Many school officials said that with three retests on the horizon, it's too early to speculate on details like what will happen graduation day for students who continually failed the exam.

"I haven't even crossed that bridge. We haven't gotten to that point yet. I think everyone's hoping and anticipating that won't happen," said Patty Creighton, director of curriculum for Uxbridge schools. "We're heading down this road very quickly and I'm not sure the state has addressed all the issues that they're going to have to face."

According to Department of Education spokeswoman Heidi Perlman, the state hopes the next three retests will bring passing scores to current 11th-graders who have struggled with the exam before.

Statewide, 64,000 students, or 76 percent of the Class of 2003, have already passed both test sections.

For those who continue to fail, an appeals process was established in January by the state Board of Education as a way for students to earn a high school diploma without a passing MCAS score.

To qualify for the appeal is no small feat, however.

Just to be considered as an appeal candidate, a student must have taken the grade 10 MCAS at least three times, scored at least 216 on the exam at least once, maintained a minimum 95 percent attendance level during the previous school year and the year of the appeal and participated in the tutoring and academic support services made available by the school.

"It was never set up to be a sort of an easy out. It's not going to be easy to qualify and it's not going to be easy to get the appeal," Perlman said.

If a student qualifies, the superintendent may file an appeal which would include information such as teacher recommendations, grades in the test subject areas, relevant work samples and other standardized test scores.

The appeal could also include grades and MCAS scores of other students in the school who took the same courses, and the percentage of those students who passed the MCAS in the subject area being appealed.

If the appeal is granted by the board appointed by the commissioner of education, the student would qualify for a high school diploma. The diploma would be no less in value than one awarded to a student who passed the MCAS, Perlman said.

"They're considered high school graduates," said Perlman, who noted there are no current plans to put the appeal in students' permanent files.

"It's a year before any of this will happen. That could change," she said.

Both Dooher and Lynch believe their colleges would accept a high school diploma granted by an appeal at this time.

"I guess I would have to see more clarification in the appeal. If it leads to a diploma and the student meets the college admissions standards, then they would be admissible," Dooher said.

Currently, all admitted students must submit a copy of their high school diploma and final academic record to the Framingham State College admissions office before their acceptance is finalized.

Lynch said Dean College admissions officers would look at MCAS scores on a "case by case" basis.

"This is all new for all of us, but as a two-year college we are able to work sometimes with students. ...
Requirements are a little more liberal in approach than at a four-year college," she said.

Programs targeting students who have not passed the MCAS exam by the time their classmates graduate are also being developed by the Joint Committee on Educational Policy established by acting Gov. Jane Swift.

"Students will actually be able to take the test as many times as they would like to after they finish high school. They are working specifically to come up with plans for students who don't pass by June of 2003," Perlman said.

Some of the education policy committee's ideas include creating an "All But MCAS" or ABM certificate for students who complete all local graduation requirements and can receive a diploma once they pass the test.

Berardi said Milford school officials would work with students who have not passed the test by graduation day to set up night school and MCAS review tutorials to help them pass the test.

Setting up additional MCAS tutoring through the Community Use program has also been discussed, he said.

"The option has to be flexible," Berardi said.