MCAS retakes offered due to insensitive essay question
By Mike BergerCanton High School juniors who took the MCAS English Language Arts (ELA) test last March as sophomores and demonstrated proficiency will have another chance to improve their score by retaking the test in November. The decision was made in light of a since-discarded essay question that state Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley agreed was insensitive and out of line.
On Friday, September 28, parents and students received a letter from School Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Fischer-Mueller, CHS Principal Derek Folan and Assistant Principal Josh Vogel informing them about the opportunity. Both CHS administrators relayed the news to the School Committee at its meeting last Thursday.
Commissioner Riley determined that the essay question, which he found to be “culturally insensitive and inappropriate,” would not be scored. He also invited researchers from the Stanford Graduate School of Education to examine how student performance was impacted by the essay prompt, which asked students to write from the perspective of a character who used derogatory language toward a young runaway slave but shelters the girl as described in a passage from Colson Whitehead’s novel The Underground Railroad. Stanford researchers determined that some students were adversely impacted by the question.
Riley felt the primary consideration for allowing the retake opportunity was to give students a chance to qualify for the John and Abigail Adams and Stanley Koplik scholarships. Students must meet a minimum score threshold and score within the top 25 percent of their school to be eligible for the Adams Scholarship.
The test can be retaken by students who performed at proficient or better. In Canton’s case, 259 sophomores took the test and 213 are eligible to take the paper-based retest November 6-8. If a student does not earn a higher score, then his or her result from the spring 2019 test will remain the score of record.
Information sessions for students and families were held this week in the CHS library. The deadline to register is October 4 by email at fogeljo@cantonma.org …
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Posted by Mike Berger
on Oct 4 2019. Filed under News, Schools.
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