Berkshire MCAS results

Thursday September 20, 2012

Under the state's new accountability and assistance system -- which replaces the No Child Left Behind metric known as "adequate yearly progress" -- schools are rated at a level between 1 and 5, with Level 1 meaning that a school or district is meeting all its progress goals for all students.

The levels are based on cumulative progress over a four-year span in terms of MCAS scores and participation, as well as graduation and dropout rates. These levels also reflect how well schools are helping high-needs student subgroups like students from low-income households, students with disabilities and students with limited English language skills.

Of Berkshire County's 19 assessed school districts, three are rated at Level 1, 11 are rated at Level 2 and three are Level 3 districts. There are no level 4 or 5 districts in the county. The other two districts (Savoy and Hancock) did not have a large enough student body participating in assessment subgroups to earn a level rating.

About 80 percent of schools and districts in the state are classified as Level 1 or Level 2. No schools in the state are at Level 5, and 12 districts and 43 schools are classified at Level 4 by the state education commissioner. Accountability levels by school district

Levels run from 1 to 5, with 1 being the best. The accountability levels were established using results of student MCAS test scores and participation, graduation and dropout

rates, and growth in these areas over a four-year period.

Level 1: Berkshire Arts & Technology; Mount Greylock Regional; Northern Berkshire Regional Vocational Technical (McCann)

Level 2: Berkshire Hills; Clarksburg; Central Berkshire; Farmington River; Florida; Lanesborough; Lee; Lenox; Richmond; Southern Berkshire; Williamstown (Williamstown Elementary)

Level 3: Adams-Cheshire; North Adams; Pittsfield

Levels 4, 5: None in county.

Accountability levels of individual school by grade span

Level 1

Elementary schools: Becket; Washington; Morningside; Stearns; Williams

Middle schools: Reid

Middle/high schools: Berkshire Arts & Technology; Lenox Memorial; Mount Everett; Mount Greylock

High schools: Monument Moun tain; Wahconah; McCann Tech

Level 2

Elementary schools: Allendale; Berkshire Trail; Capeless; Cheshire; Craneville; Egremont; Farmington River; Kittredge; Lanesborough; Lee Elementary; Morris; Muddy Brook; New Marlborough Central; Undermountain; Williamstown

Elementary/middle schools: Brayton; Clarksburg; Florida (Abbott Memorial); Greylock; Richmond; Sullivan

Middle schools: Herberg; Monument Valley; Nessacus

Middle/high schools: Hoosac Valley; Lee

Level 3

Elementary schools: Conte Community; Crosby; Plunkett

Middle/high schools: Drury

High schools: Pittsfield; Taconic

Levels 4, 5: None in county.

How do they rank?

The notable high- and low-performing districts and schools, which ranked either in the top 10 in the state or the bottom 10 (via Boston.com) in comparison with other similar districts and schools, as a result of student MCAS test scores:

Rankings by district

Third-grade English

n Richmond ranked No. 1 of 301 in third-grade English with 19 students tested.

n Lee Public Schools was ranked at 290, with 57 students tested; Berkshires Hills and North Adams were co-ranked at 292 with 86 and 111 students tested, respectively.

Third-grade math

n North Adams was ranked at 296 of 301 for math scores, with 111 students tested; Lanesborough was ranked 300 with 40 students tested.

Fourth-grade English

n North Adams was ranked 292 of 201, with 107 students tested.

Fifth-grade English

n Clarkburg was ranked 305 of 313, with 22 students tested.

Fifth-grade math

n Farmington River was ranked 308 out of 313, with 17 students tested.

Fifth-grade science

n Clarkburg was ranked 305 of 313, with 22 students tested.

Seventh-grade English

n Florida (Abbott Memorial) was ranked No. 1 of 284, with 11 students tested.