Quincy staff review new civics MCAS design and science field‑test timeline; district compares pilot data to state

An unnamed district presenter identified in the meeting as the superintendent (name not specified in transcript) briefed the Teaching & Learning Subcommittee on recent information about the redesigned civics MCAS and the status of science (STE) field testing.

The nut graf: The presenter said the civics assessment will use a two‑session model: session 1 as a state‑level performance task focused on rights and responsibilities of citizens (topic 4) and session 2 as an end‑of‑course test covering all seven civics topics. The presenter said Quincy’s 2024 field‑test results (eighth graders who took the pilot) show the district met or exceeded state performance in most reporting categories but identified two weaker items.

On civics design, the presenter summarized question types and counts: session 1 will include three 1‑point constructed‑response items, one 4‑point constructed‑response item, and seven 1‑point selected‑response items; DESE will also include four field‑test points in that session that do not count toward reported student scores. Session 2 will include about 32 scored questions plus roughly 4–6 field‑test questions, with the three reporting categories split roughly a third each.

District data coordinator Chris Tanning (named in the presentation) processed a DESE spreadsheet into usable reports for teachers, the presenter said, and the district reviewed item‑level comparisons. The presenter reported Quincy outperformed the state on most items; the two weaker items were: - A civics item that required students to “scribe how characteristics of ancient Athens influenced the creation of the US government” (district correct rate reported at 46% — cited as lower relative to other district results), and - An item asking students to “scribe state and federal powers granted by the US and the Massachusetts constitution,” where the district correct rate was 29% vs. the state at 30%.

The presenter framed those low results as instructional pain points tied to continuity across grades 6–8 and said the district will prioritize professional development and curriculum alignment (including possible notebook continuity or districtwide project structure) to bridge ancient‑civilization content into eighth‑grade civics.

On STE (science, technology and engineering) assessment changes, the presenter said the 2024 expanded pilot embedded “matrix” (field‑test) questions across both session 1 and session 2; common (scored) science questions total 54 points (32 one‑point selected responses, three two‑point selected responses, two two‑point constructed responses and four three‑point constructed responses) and matrix questions add roughly 10 points across both sessions (seven matrix questions worth 10 points). The presenter said students will answer about 51 questions over two sessions when matrix and common questions are combined and that DESE expects the new STE assessment to be operational in 2027.

The presenter noted DESE has not released expanded pilot science reports to the district and the district has requested raw data; the presenter said it is unclear whether DESE will provide item‑level separation for matrix versus common questions in future reports. Committee members asked whether the district will receive STE results for 2025 and 2026; the presenter said the district has asked DESE but could not guarantee that DESE will provide separated matrix/common reporting.

Committee members suggested instructional continuity strategies (for example, science notebooks carried from grades 6–7 into eighth grade) and several members praised student STEM fairs as evidence of learning beyond MCAS scores. The presenter closed by reiterating that teachers are already adjusting instruction and that district PD will emphasize alignment without teaching to the test.

No formal vote or new policy was approved during this discussion.