Medford School Committee approves new MCAS Flex Pilot at high school

Medford High School students will be following a different schedule this coming May when sophomores take the math MCAS exam.

The changes come following a unanimous decision by the School Committee on March 16 to approve an MCAS Flex Pilot that would radically change how students in all grades, as well as staff, experience test-taking days on May 19 and 20.

Superintendent Dr. Suzanne Galusi said although MCAS is no longer a requirement for graduation, the exam is still being taken and districts must comply with testing protocols.

“I want to frame again that the MCAS may no longer be a requirement for graduation, but it is still our measure for accountability per the Department of Education,” she said. “So it does matter because it is a good measure for us to determine how grade level students are being met here in the Medford Public Schools.”

MHS Principal Marta Cabral and Assistant Principal Dave Blauch were in attendance Monday evening to talk about the program, how it will work and what the district is hoping to see.

Blauch stressed the pilot is for high school students in grade 10 and just for the math MCAS exam. It will also center around a late entry schedule for non-testing students.

“The idea is to ensure optimal testing conditions, maintain equitable access to instruction time and support the schoolwide operations while we have MCAS occurring,” Blauch said.

Why MHS is taking these steps

The late entry idea isn’t a new one. Both Blauch and Cabral said school systems across the state have done the same thing, but this is brand new for Medford.

Blauch said there are five reasons why the district is taking these steps:

• Ensuring a secure, quiet and optimal testing environment, something that can often be difficult to maintain.

Normally, Blauch said, a section of C Building is cleared out for testing while students and teachers are moved around — and that causes disruption for everyone.

• Maximizing student performance while reducing stress.

“This is in alignment with our commitment to provide all our students with the best possible conditions when we have high-stakes assessments,” Blauch said.

 • Help with efficiency and staffing.

Blauch said MCAS testing requires “a substantial number of test proctors” and that it’s “becoming a challenge” to staff those tests. With a modified day, he said staff will be available and ready to help not only proctor, but with other students in the building.

“With adequate staffing, we can better be in compliance with required accommodations and monitoring for students in the school without compromising safety of the broader student body,” he said.

• Students not testing will no longer need to be relocated or re-assigned to unfamiliar classrooms, which disrupts their learning. And testing students will no longer be missing important lessons.

Blauch said the planned late entry will allow students to follow a mindful schedule rather than experiencing “potentially fragmented instruction.”

“What we hope the outcome will be with all this is that we see improved testing conditions and improved performance for all our students who are testing,” Blauch said. “We’ll see better compliance with MCAS testing security and administration protocols through that more secure environment. We’ll see increased efficiency in staffing assignments, reduce disruptions to the overall school community and enhance equity in instructional time for non-tested students.”

How will this work?

Grade 10 students who are taking the math MCAS on May 19 and 20 will arrive at school during the regular 7:45 a.m. time. They will report to their classrooms and immediately begin taking the MCAS exam.

Other students will be required to arrive at the end of the test window, around 11:27 a.m., which is the first lunch block. Those students will follow a late entry schedule.

Freshmen will also report at 7:45 a.m. Those students will be engaged in a seminar or activity during the testing period.

School officials are currently working with the Transportation Office to get kids to school on the two testing days. Blauch said that will mostly affect juniors and seniors, but there are still nine weeks until that time and Cabral is working on reaching out to families.

Late-entry students will come into the building via one entrance so they are counted for attendance purposes by administrative assistance waiting in the lobby.

School Committee reactions

School Committee members were, overall, supportive of the program, although some stated they weren’t thrilled about the MCAS still taking up valuable education time.

Paul Ruseau said his main worry was that upper classmen would see the late entry as a way to skip the entire day.

Galusi, however, said students will be reminded of the attendance policies before the testing begins.

Cabral also said students will receive clear messaging that their presence is required because they will still need to attend three afternoon classes.

School Committee members also questioned what the data behind late entry shows when it comes to MCAS outcomes. They added they would like to see how those numbers play out later this year.

Questions were also raised about students opting out of the MCAS exam. However, Cabral said there have been no opt outs, either last year or this year. She added teachers have worked with students in how it’s important for them to take the tests to see how they are doing in their educational career so far.

Galusi said her own children participated in the late entry scenario in another district, but she said there were no enrichment programs for other students, such as the freshmen.

“They would have really benefited in their freshmen year from having some conversations around decision making, executive functioning skills and team building,” she said. “Freshman year brings a lot of developmental issues and insecurities and I think having space for just the freshmen to come and be able to work with the staff and one another is just going to benefit them throughout their high school trajectory.”

In the end, the School Committee voted unanimously in favor of the pilot. Galusi and her team said they would collect data from other districts about how late entry has affected MCAS outcomes.

A report is expected by the end of the academic year.

The School Committee is expected to meet again on April 6 in the Alden Chambers at City Hall, beginning at 6 p.m. The meeting is also available live on Zoom.