Cambridge Public Schools Exceeds State in English Language Arts and Math Across All Grades in MCAS
On Tuesday, September 24, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released the MCAS and accountability results for the 2023-2024 school year. Cambridge Public Schools (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.
“The release of the MCAS data represents an important opportunity for school districts across the Commonwealth to assess, by one of several critical metrics, how we are serving our public school students,” said interim Superintendent David Murphy. “Many data points contained within the reports released today indicate that Cambridge Public Schools is doing very well by our students, and we are deeply grateful to our teachers and staff who make that possible.The Tobin Montessori’s School’s designation as one of 57 Schools of Recognition as well as the U.S. Department of Education honoring the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School as a 2024 National Blue Ribbon School attest to the quality of instruction that is possible in Cambridge. As we examine the data closely, there is evidence of outstanding teaching and learning taking place across the district, including but not exclusive to, the Putnam Avenue Upper School and the Fletcher Maynard Academy whose growth percentiles are indicative of a firm and unyielding commitment to high standards of instruction for all students. We thank and commend all of our educators in each CPS school community for their continuous efforts on behalf of CPS students.”
Highlights of the district data include:
- The percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations is well above the state in every grade and subject.
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
|
- On average, all grades with the exception of grade 6 math had moderate or high growth in ELA and math from the previous year.
- DESE has deemed CPS as a whole as making substantial progress towards accountability targets. Highlights of where the district exceeded targets include:
- Reducing chronic absenteeism across grades 1-8;
- Progress toward attaining English language proficiency for high school students; and
- Extended engagement rate, which is the sum of the five-year cohort graduation rate plus the percentage of students from the cohort that remain enrolled after five years.
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.
“As a part of our steadfast commitment to continuous improvement, we will continue to closely analyze this data and identify specific strategies to ensure all of our students are given the opportunity to engage in relevant and rigorous instruction within each of our school communities, positioning them for future success,” said Interim Superintendent Murphy. “Embracing and being responsive to this data is an important step toward ensuring the quality and caliber of teaching and learning within the Cambridge Public Schools empowers student excellence, particularly amongst our most vulnerable students and those from historically marginalized communities.”