Assessment/Accountability
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System

Overview

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) is designed to meet the requirements of the Education Reform Law of 1993. This law specifies that the testing program must

• test all public school students in Massachusetts, including students with disabilities and limited English proficient students;
• measure performance based on the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework learning standards;
• report on the performance of individual students, schools, and districts.

As required by the Education Reform Law, students must pass the grade 10 tests in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics as one condition of eligibility for a high school diploma (in addition to fulfilling local requirements).

In addition, the MCAS program is used to hold schools and districts accountable, on a yearly basis, for the progress they have made toward the objective of the No Child Left Behind Law that all students be proficient in Reading and Mathematics by 2014.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is tested on the MCAS?
2. What types of questions appear on MCAS tests, and how are student responses scored?
3. How are test results reported?
4. How are test results used?
5. Is a ranking of district and town by MCAS scores available?
6. Are all students required to participate?
7. Can parents refuse their child's participation in the MCAS tests?
8. How do students with disabilities participate in the MCAS tests?
9. How do students with limited English proficiency participate in the MCAS tests?
10. What types of state-funded academic support programs are available for high school students or young adults who left high school without receiving a high school diploma?
    
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