Rockport presenters highlight MCAS growth, note small-cohort volatility

Miss Goodyear presented district MCAS results and emphasized that much of the work belongs to classroom teachers and departments doing targeted analysis. She told the committee that several grades showed strong growth — for example, the presenter highlighted a 63% student-growth percentile in a middle-school ELA cohort — and that the 8th-grade science and some middle-grade ELA results were “fabulous.”

Superintendent Mark Bracco and presenters noted the limits of small cohorts: a committee member observed that in a 4th-grade class of 36 students, a change of three to four students can shift percentage points substantially. The presenter also outlined next steps: department-level data dives, targeted interventions (literacy and math acceleration specialists), Keyes literacy work for grades 4–8 and closer high-school/middle-school coordination. "I don't think we should be celebrating beating the state — the state equals a lot of struggling communities," the superintendent said, urging the district to set a higher bar for Rockport students.

The presentation included item-level analysis showing where Rockport students outperformed state averages on specific test items and noted civics MCAS pilot results (8th graders scored higher than the state on 14 of 15 released items). The committee discussed resources for students identified as needing additional support and the schedule and retest opportunities for juniors and sophomores under new graduation performance requirements.