Dear CRLS Families and Caregivers of 9th & 10th Graders.
This spring, your child will participate in MCAS tests in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics or Science. In addition to meeting CRLS graduation requirements, all students in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts must pass the English Language Arts, Math and Science MCAS tests to earn a high school diploma. This year all MCAS exams will be administered on-line at the high school level; therefore, changes have been made to the testing schedule to accommodate this new format.
- The ELA MCAS will be administered to 10th graders on Tuesday, March 24th & Wednesday, March 25th
- The MATH MCAS will be administered to 10th graders on Tuesday, May 19th & Wednesday, May 20th
- The SCIENCE MCAS will be administered to 9th graders on Tuesday, June 2nd & Wednesday June 3rd
It is important that your student attend school and arrive on time every day during MCAS testing. If absent, only students with a note from a licensed physician documenting their illness will be permitted to attend the designated make-up days. Make up days for the ELA tests will be held on Thursday March 26th and Friday, March 27th. Math make up will be held on May 21 and 22, Science on June 4 and 5.
Students will use their school issued Chromebook to take the MCAS tests. Students should plan to bring their Chromebook, fully charged, to school every testing day. Students will be given as much time as needed to complete all sections of the test on each day, however, they must finish the test by the end of the school day. Testing will occur each day from 8:05AM - 11:52AM for ELA and 8:05AM to 11:05AM for Math & Science.
All students will remain in their testing rooms until the end time and should bring a book with them in the event they finish the test early. Lunch will be served at 11:52AM for ELA and 11:10AM for Math and Science days. All test takers will be dismissed after testing. Students requiring additional time will be permitted to eat in their testing room and have until 2:30PM to complete the day’s session.
All students will be asked to hand the teacher administering the tests their cell phone and any other electronic equipment such as IPods, IPads, tablets, fitbits and smart watches before they are allowed to take the test. If a student is found with a cell phone or other electronic equipment during the test, the test will be invalidated and the student will have to take the test again as a junior.
Please encourage your child to get a good night’s sleep every night prior to a test, and to eat a good breakfast before school. Students will be given a snack during the morning, but they should bring water and additional snacks from home on test days because they are not permitted to leave the testing room until they have completed the test.
Download an updated schedule for March including ELA MCAS testing. If you would like any further information about these tests, please feel free to contact your child’s Learning Community Dean or Guidance Counselor. Working together, I know we can help every child be successful in meeting the MCAS graduation requirement.
Sincerely,
Damon Smith
Principal CRLS