September 24, 2024
Dear CPS Community:
At 10 this morning, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released the MCAS and accountability results for the 2023-2024 school year. CPS held steady in math spanning across grades 3-8 and 10. In English Language Arts (ELA), the district saw an overall decline in aggregate across grades 3-8 and grade 10.
2024 MCAS: Percent of Students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations
|
Subject
|
CPS
|
State
|
Difference
|
|
ELA: Grades 3-8
|
55%
|
39%
|
+16 points
|
|
ELA: Grade 10
|
62%
|
57%
|
+5 points
|
|
Math: Grades 3-8
|
54%
|
41%
|
+13 points
|
|
Math: Grade 10
|
60%
|
48%
|
+12 points
|
Additional highlights of the district-wide data are outlined in our news release.
CPS continues to be acutely aware of the opportunities and areas for growth. When the data is disaggregated, it is evident that the district continues to experience challenges in achievement among some student demographic groups. The district is deeply committed to closing the opportunity gap and continuing to implement robust, data-driven systems to support each of our students in achieving their full potential.
- Teaching and Learning Framework aligns instructional practices across content areas and grade bands.
- Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) supports students’ academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs, with an emphasis on strong Tier 1 instruction.
- Strategic Tutoring for eligible grade 3-8 students and targeted Math/ELA Acceleration Academies for grades 6-8.
- Adoption of aligned English Language Arts and mathematics curriculum ensuring that all students have access to high-quality, grade level instruction across schools and classrooms daily.
- A more focused approach to engaging teachers in professional learning, with an emphasis on inclusive practices that are more likely to engage all learners in rigorous activities that allow them to maximize their full potential.
- Intentionally focusing on student achievement and growth through the goal-setting phase of the evaluation process and working with school and district evaluators to provide teachers with specific feedback to improve their practice.
- Looking closely at the systems of excellence that are present in CPS schools that have demonstrated the highest student achievement and growth across demographic groups in order to identify and share lessons learned from their successful practices.
- Establishment in coordination with the City of Cambridge of a universal preschool system to foster a shared foundation of formal education and position students for greater success upon arrival in elementary school.
We look forward to having more conversations and keeping our community updated as the work moves forward.
Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
David Murphy
Interim Superintendent