Why post the MCAS questions, a few each week?

In the last 4 years, there has been much debate about the policies surrounding the MCAS tests. Many individuals and groups have expressed strong opinions for or against the tests, for and against the requirement that students pass the Grade 10 tests in Math and English to receive a public school diploma, beginning June 2003.

Many people have never had a chance to see the test questions, to judge for themselves the fairness and appropriateness of the tests. More importantly, many parents, interested citizens, community leaders, and potential volunteers would like to help young people learn the material tested by the MCAS – but aren't sure how to get started. This website is designed for people who would like to get started helping themselves or helping others. It's intended to make it easy for people at different locations to work together on shared material.

But doesn't the Massachusetts Department of Education already release these tests, in their entirety, to the public? Couldn't anyone download the whole test and get started – without the achievementinfo.com website?

Yes. Anyone could – and we're strongly in favor of that! However, many who would like to teach or learn this material have difficulty finding the time or sustained energy to locate the tests, divide them into workable chunks, coordinate a schedule with others working through this material, etc. A shared website with a few questions each week enables disparate individuals and groups to study this material together.

If you would like to download all of the MCAS test questions, with or without the correct answers, they can be found at: http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/testitems.html

But lots of families don't have a computer or easy access to the World Wide Web.

Certainly, there are many individuals and families without easy access to a computer. However, a few questions each week can easily be accessed at one person's school, public library, or workplace. The questions can easily be photocopied and widely distributed. Only one person in a congregation, community organization, or among a group of friends needs access to a computer, once a week. It will take only a few minutes to print out the questions, make copies, and share them with others. Then we can begin working on them together.

Why is this important now?

As we begin the new year, the MCAS clock is ticking. 40 weeks remain until the diploma cutoff. Although scores on the Spring 2002 MCAS tests showed notable improvement from previous years, there are still approximately 12,000 students, or a fifth of the Class of 2003, who failed one or both of the Grade 10 Math and English tests on all three tries. These 12,000 students must pass both tests before June 2003 in order to receive high school diplomas on Graduation Day.

It would be "high risk" behavior indeed for adults to urge young people who don't have the necessary skills to count on a reversal of the present law requiring passing grades on the tests to receive a high school diploma. Equally irresponsible would be to tell students that we consider them unable to learn this material, or to encourage them simply to give up.

Whether you favor or oppose the current MCAS policies, we urge you to look at the test questions and to ask whether young people are better off knowing or not knowing this material, whatever the law might require in the future.

We found many adults and concerned citizens who want to help, but aren't sure how to start. We have found many people – students and adults – who want to improve their own understanding of this material. But we could not find an easily available, easily packaged, free format that would enable any citizen, student, parent, teacher, community group, religious or civic organization to get started now – working together – to master the material on the MCAS tests and to teach it to others. So we decided to create this website. We encourage others to join the process. Let a thousand flowers bloom.

But posting the questions doesn't teach this material ...

Posting the questions is just a first step. Adults and young people who have received a quality education in high school will find this material familiar. It is the mathematics and English we have traditionally taught to students aiming for selective colleges. Now we need to teach it to everyone.

If you know this material, there are approximately 12,000 young people in each graduating class who don't understand this week's questions. Can you find one or more whom you could help with a few questions a week?

If you don't know this material, can you find someone who could help you with a few questions a week? Could you join with others to study this material together?

Who developed this project?

This website is a project of The National Classroom, Inc. If you would like to help with the project or learn more about our work, please contact us:

Barney Brawer, barney.brawer@nationalclassroom.com
Michelle Baiz-Ebel, michelle.baiz-ebel@nationalclassroom.com
Melissa Meo, melissa.meo@nationalclassroom.com