FYI from BSF, 9.27.24
How bad could it be?
The concern is warranted. Not because 3rd grade literacy proficiency is lower than in past years. Not because more students did not pass the 10th grade MCAS on their first of five attempts. Comparing a snapshot in time of different groups of kids doesn’t truly offer a trend around student achievement.
Following a group of students (a cohort) does.
The power of using the same standards-based assessment like the MCAS over time is that it provides continuous feedback to educators, students, and families. The expected result is that proficiency will rise.
That is exactly what happened in the past in Massachusetts, and specifically in Boston. Observe the Class of 2018, starting out as 3rd graders in 2009 and slowly, but surely improving over time.
The real reason to ring the alarm bell now is that the opposite is happening. Proficiency rates for Class of 2028 are getting lower the longer they are in school.
In a new development, this is true for everyone. One of clearest trends since the pandemic was that higher income students recovered more quickly academically, particularly in math.
That “advantage” is now gone. Even higher income students, in this case in Boston, are performing at lower proficiency levels than they did prior to the pandemic.
Proficiency declined for all while the gap increased.
What do we do about this?
Attendance continues to matter. This was cited frequently at Tuesday’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, and it is why you saw the Governor and the Mayor at the O’Donnell in East Boston on Monday.
Again, focusing on Boston data reveals a broader statewide trend: the higher a school’s chronic absenteeism, the lower its assessment outcomes.
That clear trendline sloping down tells you it’s a borderline strong correlation (-0.59). Getting more kids into school more regularly remains the first, most efficient intervention to reverse these trends.
When Boston’s federal stimulus figures were finalized, I offered the metaphor that every Boston family had been handed a ~$10,000 check for their student. The Massachusetts average came in at about $3,000 per student. Imagine how many hours of tutoring, extended days, extended years, and other academic interventions that check could “purchase.”
This coming Monday, September 30, is the ESSER deadline, the last day to spend the last federal dollars (barring an extension).
With few signs of significant academic progress, it is fair for many Boston and Massachusetts families to wonder if they got their money’s worth, and what their kids will get now.
Notes in the Margin
Boston School Committee met on Wednesday. Full materials here, including a report on summer learning.
Tuesday’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meeting featured a deep dive on attendance and MCAS and a visit from Boston City Councilors. Materials here.
Want to look through MCAS data yourself? The Globe has a tool, and this is the most comprehensive state page.
MCAS results resulted in a flurry of coverage of Question 2. If you are catching up, here is a primer from WBUR or an explainer from NBC10/NECN (start at 4:20). Yes on 2 is launching new ads. Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern has endorsed a “yes” position, Mayor Michelle Wu is not sure, and a teacher explains why he is opposed. With a “bare majority,” a WBUR poll shows declining support for Question 2. We can all have our own opinions, but no one is entitled to their own facts.
And, now, some awards. The aforementioned O’Donnell was one of 10 schools recognized for significant decreases in chronic absenteeism. Nine Massachusetts schools were recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools. Massachusetts also released its list of 2024 Schools of Recognition; three of the four Boston winners have locations in East Boston (Alighieri, Guild, Brooke Charter School).
As ~¼ of Boston schools limit cell phone use, here is a thoughtful debate/discussion on the topic.