Old Rochester outperforms state in every 2024 MCAS test, Old Colony outperforms in science

Tri-Town students outperformed the state in a majority of grades and subjects in the 2024 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System tests, according to Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education data.

The data, released Tuesday, Sept. 24, indicates that students in the Old Rochester Regional School District outperformed state results on all assessments. Students at Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School outperformed the state in one of three tests administered to 10th graders.

Third through eighth graders and high school sophomores take MCAS exams in English language arts and mathematics. Fifth, eighth and 10th graders also take a science test.

Old Rochester Superintendent Michael Nelson said the district was “very pleased” with the 2024 scores in all three subjects.

“We take pride in the strong performance of all our districts in achievement scores this year, across every subject area and grade level,” Nelson said.

Old Colony students outperformed the state in the grade 10 science assessments.

“While MCAS scores don’t define our work, they are certainly a common measure of reference,” Superintendent-Director Aaron Polansky said. “We have some work to do and feel we can improve achievement scores in math, science, and ELA.”

Compared to last year, results in English language arts were down across Massachusetts in 2024, a trend that Old Rochester and Old Colony data also reflected.

Even with the dip in English language arts results, the Old Rochester school district averaged more than 10% above the state average, according to Nelson.

From third to eighth grade, 52% of Old Rochester students “met or exceeded expectations,” 13 percentage points higher compared to the 39% state average. Sophomores “met or exceeded expectations” 6 percentage points higher than the state, according to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education data.

Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Sharlene Fedorowicz said “there will always be work to do to continuously improve” Old Rochester’s “rigor and scores” and that district educators “set high expectations” for students.

“Our students take learning seriously and along with the community, have a lot of pride in their schools,” Fedorowicz said.

For the mathematics assessments, 59% of Old Rochester sophomores “met or exceeded expectations,” which was 11 percentage points above the Massachusetts average. Grades three to eight “met or exceeded expectations” at a rate 3 percentage points higher than the state average, according to Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education data.

In science, 58% of fifth and eighth grade students in Old Rochester “met or exceeded expectations,” a figure 16 percentage points higher than the Massachusetts average of 42%. The 60% figure of sophomores who “met or exceeded expectations” in science was 11 percentage points above the state rate.

Old Rochester has piloted a curriculum called “OpenSciEd” in fifth through eighth grade “which is making a positive and significant difference in our science scores,” according to Fedorowicz.

“Along with the new curricula comes high quality professional development and data analysis of student achievement results to increase rigor and performance to meet the needs of our students,” Fedorowicz said.

At Old Colony, 46% of sophomores “met or exceeded expectations” on the English language arts assessment compared to the 57% state average, according to Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education data.

Polansky said Old Colony had “honed in” on open response scores from 2023 to where it was felt that the school “can make the most significant impact with a ‘literacy across the curriculum’ initiative” to be launched next month.

“A team of our Old Colony teachers collaborated last spring and into this past summer to plan for the implementation,” Polansky said. “We are excited about what they’ve created and proud that they will be leading this professional development and initiative for our entire teaching staff. The initiative will involve important work focused on student writing in every area of our program of studies.”

Old Colony sophomores “met or exceeded expectations” two percentage points lower than the state on the mathematics assessment. 

For the science assessment, 10th grade students at Old Colony “met or exceeded expectations” 5% higher than the state, according to Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education data.

Polansky said the school’s “strengths” according to its most recent accountability report were attendance, graduation and advanced coursework completion rates.

Throughout Massachusetts, student MCAS scores are still below 2019, pre-pandemic figures. 

Across all grades and subjects, Old Rochester has shown “a quicker pace in closing the achievement gaps between 2019 and 2024 compared to the state’s reported recovery rates,” Nelson said.

“The quantitative impact of the pandemic may linger for some time,” Fedorowicz said. “Students greatly impacted by the pandemic are still coming into the MCAS picture.”

MCAS tests weren’t administered in 2020 and were adjusted for 2021. 

In November, a ballot question will determine if MCAS remains a graduation requirement.