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All Hull High school seniors pass the test.
Read story 3-6-03
Schools fear students will drop out after MCAS.
Story 3-4-03
Students Jennifer Mueller, Muna Bittar, Jonathan Galina
and Joe Cao pass the MCAS after retesting.
Galina 2-28-03
Others 2-27-03
ABOUT
THE SERIES
A decade of education reform culminates this year
when a students' eligibility for a high school diploma hinges
on a single test for the first time in state history.
Yet four months before graduation, one in six
high school seniors has yet to pass the MCAS exam.
The Patriot Ledger examines this issue, beginning
with this three-part series by staff writer
.
MCAS
honor roll chart
South
Shore results chart
Pop-up
chart on MCAS Failure Rate
Pop-up
chart to see who is failing
Making the Grade graphic by MICHAEL
BERTRAND
/The Patriot Ledger
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ABOUT MCAS
Can a student appeal?
School superintendents may appeal to the state on behalf of students
who cannot pass the MCAS. The state has granted waivers to 313
students, including 53 from the South Shore. To qualify for an
MCAS waiver, a student must have:
- Taken the MCAS at least three times.
- Received a score of at least 216 - 4 points away from passing
- on at least one attempt.
- Maintained at least a 95 percent attendance rate during the
school year prior to and the school year of the appeal, with
the understanding that evidence of extenuating circumstances
(such as a serious illness) may be presented to justify an exemption
from this requirement.
- Satisfactorily participated in tutoring and other academic
support services made available by or approved by the school.
In addition, the appeal must show that the student’s skills
are equivalent to a passing score on the MCAS by providing:
- The recommendation of one or more of the student’s teachers,
assessing the student’s knowledge and skills in the subject
area of the appeal
- The grades and grade point average of the student for
courses taken in the subject area of the appeal in grade
9 (at the discretion of the superintendent), grades 10,
11, and, if available, grade 12
- The grades and grade point averages and most recent MCAS
scores of other students in the school who took the same
sequence of courses
- Other relevant, supporting information, such as work
samples and scores on other standardized tests in the subject
area of the appeal.
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