BOSTON — Eighth-graders would be required to take a new MCAS civics exam under a proposed $180 million contract with a Georgia-based private company that oversees the state’s hallmark standardized tests.
The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on Tuesday will hear details about the proposed five-year contract with Cognia and its subcontractors — including Texas-based eMetric — to provide a series of standardized tests known as the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System.
The current MCAS contract, awarded to Cognia in 2016, expires on June 30, according to state education officials. The new contract would cover the MCAS test development, customer service for school districts that administer the tests, scoring of the exams and reporting.
In a memo to DESE board members, acting Education Commissioner Russell D. Johnston said new contract has updates to the MCAS program, including a new 8th grade civics assessment that “measures students’ understanding of civics and the foundations of the Massachusetts and U.S. governments.”
Other changes include “revised” 5th and 8th grade science exams “that encourage the ‘doing of science’ in the context of real-world storylines and interactive simulations, he said. The English language arts MCAS tests in grades 3-8 would be revised “to continue bringing down the amount of time spent on testing.”
Johnson said the new MCAS system would also include more Spanish language tests to accommodate students with limited English skills.
Another feature of the new exams would be “improved turnaround times for assessment results through the increased use of automated scoring and a new reporting portal to inform students’ families and caregivers,” he said.
Johnson said the recommended changes are based on focus groups, information from surveys, other “stakeholder engagement” to get feedback on the current MCAS program, and suggestions for “additions, improvement, or changes” that might be included in a new contract. Consideration of the new contract comes amid renewed debate over the MCAS high school graduation mandate with a referendum to scrap the requirement inching towards the November ballot.
The proposal, which would appear on the November ballot, asks voters if they want to scrap the decades-old mandate requiring 10th-graders to demonstrate proficiency in math, English and science.
Each year, about 500,000 students take the MCAS — the benchmark standardized test in the state for nearly 30 years.
Students educated with Massachusetts public funds in grades 3 to 8 and 10 are required by federal laws, the 1993 Massachusetts Education Reform Law, and state law to participate in statewide testing.
The testing begins in the third grade, but students in the 10th grade are required to pass the math, English and science exams to graduate from high school. The tests are also designed to identify under-performing schools and districts as candidates for state intervention.
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at [email protected]
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at [email protected]
By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter
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