A Program of Schools for Children

MCAS

Students at publicly funded special education schools like Dearborn Academy participate in mandatory state testing.

 

We prepare students for the MCAS by teaching them the same skills and content that they would learn in public school – with specialized instruction and accommodations as appropriate to achieve success. In addition to challenging students academically, at Dearborn Academy, we provide direct instruction to teach test-taking strategies and help students fill in gaps where they are missing skills or content knowledge.

 

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.

     

All publicly-funded students from Massachusetts who attend Dearborn Academy participate in all MCAS tests scheduled for their grades by taking the standard MCAS tests with or without accommodations. A student’s IEP team determines how a student with a disability will participate in MCAS and documents this information in the plan.

 

The law allows for accommodations to be made to assist students with particular learning challenges to demonstrate their grasp of the material. The common accommodations that students in our program have during the test are:

 

  • a familiar administrator

  • the use of graphic organizers

  • frequent breaks

  • monitoring, tracking and the clarification of the directions

     

Test scores are documented and reported to the student’s parents and sending district. Students must earn a passing score on the MCAS tests in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics, and one of the Science and Technology/Engineering (STE) tests (Biology or Introductory Physics) to meet their Competency Determination requirement, required for a high school diploma.