Threat of Winter Storm on Tuesday Postpones MCAS Testing in Melrose

Due to the expected winter storm on Tuesday, the state announced that the MCAS English Language Arts Composition test for students in grades 4, 7 and 10 has been postponed until Monday, March 25.

Since much of Massachusetts is expecting a winter storm on Tuesday, and with it the possibility of numerous school closings or delayed openings, the MCAS English Language Arts Composition test for students in grades 4, 7 and 10 has been postponed until Monday, March 25, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced on its website.  Originally this composition test was scheduled for Tuesday, March 19, but in an effort to make sure all schools administer the test on the same day, "all schools must administer the ELA Composition test to students in grades 4, 7, and 10 on Monday, March 25, including schools that are not affected by the weather," according to a memo from Elizabeth Davis, associate commissioner of …

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A Look Over Melrose's 2012 MCAS Results

School district generally outperformed state average.

Melrose students generally outperformed the state average in multiple MCAS categories, according to MCAS data recently released by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Tenth grade students went from 48 to 50 percent in advanced mathematics, and from 39 to 42 percent in advanced English language arts. Science also showed slight improvement for the 10th graders, with 18 percent scoring in the "advanced" category compared to 16 percent last year. However, the number in the “failing” category slightly increased in the past year in all three categories, going from 3 to 7 (mathematics), 1 to 2 (English language arts) and 3 to 5 in science. Eighth grade students improved in the "proficient" category for English …

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Melrose High School Doesn't Crack Top 50 Boston Magazine Schools

The magazine used a variety of statistics to compile its list. See how Melrose fared in a variety of categories.

Boston Magazine recently compiled its list of 222 Boston-area public and charter high schools and also narrowed down the top 50 schools in the area based on a variety of statistics, and Melrose High School and Mystic Valley Regional Charter School found themselves in the middle of the pack in a variety of categories. Melrose High didn't find its way onto the Top 50 list in the magazine. Weston High School took top honors followed by Lexington High, Dover-Sherborn Regional High, Concord-Carlisle High and Wellesley Senior High. Schools in the Melrose region that made the list include Andover High School (No. 27), Reading Memorial High School (No. 38) and Burlington High School at No. 43. According to the sortable list in the article, Melrose…

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Mark Ouellette

12:45 pm on Thursday, September 13, 2012

Hi Percy, Thanks for the note. I've included Mystic Valley Regional Charter School data to the story.   more ›

Your Turn: Mass. Gets Waiver From No Child Left Behind—Good or Bad?

Do you agree with the state no longer having to have every student test as proficient in reading and math by 2014? Or should the standard be kept in place?

The Associated Press reported yesterday that President Barack Obama granted a waiver to Massachusetts and nine other states from the No Child Left Behind law, and in exchange, the states promise higher standards and more creative ways to measure what students are learning. Massachusetts previously asked in October to opt-out of the requirement that all students test as proficient in reading and math by 2014. The presidential waiver grants that, while requiring each state to submit plans showing how they will prepare students for college and careers; set new targets for improving achievement; reward the best performing schools and focus on schools performing poorly, the AP reported. The states excused from following the law no longer have …

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Beyond Melrose's Borders

News Nearby: Clinton at Tufts—Obama Comparison 'Burns Me Up'

Also in news from Melrose's neighbors: Malden has a new mayor; Winchester superintendent says he 'dropped the ball' on school choice notification; and a Reading man runs into a burning building.

Each Saturday, Melrose Patch will run a round-up with links to stories from surrounding communities that are of interest to Melrosians. MEDFORD—Former President Bill Clinton said it burns him up when people compare President Barack Obama unfavorably to him, he's okay with paying more in taxes as part of the one percent, and thinks recently elected conservative congress people "must be stunned" at how quickly their approval ratings have dropped. Clinton delivered the Fares Lecture at Tufts University Sunday evening. Thousands lined up outside the Gantcher Center on the Tufts Campus for the high security event. MALDEN—Gary Christenson, Malden's first new mayor elect in 16 years, said he hopes to bring more technology, efficiency and …

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Poll Results: The Government Should Scrap 'No Child Left Behind'

That's what the majority of Melrose Patch readers who voted in a poll last week said when asked if the federal education act should be revised or eliminated.

Last week, a U.S. Senate panel was considering eliminating Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), a major requirement of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Meanwhile, Massachusetts legislators were asking to opt-out of the requirement that all students test as proficient in reading and math by 2014, according to the Associated Press. To take the pulse of the community on these issues, we asked, "If you could eliminate one aspect of No Child Left Behind, what would it be?"  Between Tuesday and Thursday night, 24 people voted in the poll. The results? 

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POLL: Should 'No Child Left Behind' Be Revised (or Eliminated)?

The federal law that requires standardized testing is under scrutiny at the national and state levels. How would you change the law, if at all?

The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires schools to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), which uses standardized test scores to measure students' progress towards meeting the federal goal of having all students test as proficient in reading and math by 2014. Most Melrose Schools missed meeting those federal progress benchmarks—as did the vast majority of schools across Massachusetts, with 82 percent of the state’s schools and 91 percent of school districts missing performance targets, according to the Boston Globe. Now, a U.S. Senate panel is proposing to eliminate Adequate Yearly Progress from the No Child Left Behind Act, according to an article by the Christian Science Monitor.  Also, Massachusetts is asking to opt out of the …

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Melrose's 2011 MCAS Results: 8 Things To Know

Here are eight facts that stand out from this year's MCAS scores.

The results of the 2011 MCAS exams were released this week. District-wide results are available here. School-by-school results can be seen by going to the previous link; choosing a school from the drop down box on the upper-right hand of the page; and clicking the "Assessment tab." Here are eight things that stand out in Melrose's results: The federal No Child Left Behind Act requires schools to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), which uses standardized test scores to measure students' progress towards meeting the federal goal of having all students test as proficient in reading and math by 2014. Most Melrose Schools missed meeting those federal progress benchmarks—as did the vast majority of schools across Massachusetts, with 82 percent…

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Daniel DeMaina

7:47 pm on Sunday, September 25, 2011

A comment has been removed for violation of Patch's Terms of Use, which state in part, "Without limitation, you agree that you will not post or transmit to other users anything that contains Content that ... contains any advertising, promotional materials, "junk mail," "spam," "chain letters," "pyramid schemes," or any other form of solicitation." The Terms of Use can be read here — http://…   more ›