Schools
MCAS 2012: Watertown's Scores on the Rise, Especially in 10th Grade
Students in Watertown Public Schools fared best in English Language Arts, and had the most problems with science and technology.
Watertown students scored well in on the 2012 MCAS Test when it counted - in 10th grade - but some pupils in the lower grades struggled according to results released today by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
The trend for Watertown schools for scores to improve as the students get older, with 89 percent of 10th graders getting Proficient or higher – considered a satisfactory score – in math, 80 percent in English Language Arts and 72 percent in science and technology. The percent of 10th graders who failed the test were 3 percent in English Language Arts, 5 percent in math and 7 percent in science and technology.
In 2011, 80 percent of Watertown 10th graders were proficient or higher in English Language Arts, 83 percent in math and 76 percent in science and technology, according to the Massachusetts DESE.
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Watertown's top scores came on the English Language Arts exam, with 89 percent proficient or higher in 10th and eighth grades, 70 percent in seventh grade and 68 percent in sixth grade.
In math, 80 percent of 10th graders and 68 percent of third graders were the top scores.
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The science and technology exam posed the most difficulty for Watertown students. In fifth grade only 46 percent were proficient and higher and 37 percent in seventh grade.
The tests that had the most students in warning/fail were fifth grade math with 21 percent, 23 percent in sixth grade math and 19 percent in fourth grade English Language Arts.
Scores fluctuated both up and down compared to the 2011 MCAS results. Scores were higher overall for grades 4, 6, 8 and 10, but lower in grades 3, 5 and 7.
2012 Watertown MCAS Scores
Profic. or HigherAdvan.
Profic. Needs Improve.
Warning
or Fail
District State District State District State District State District State Grade 3 Reading67 61 15 15 52 46 25 30 8 9 Math 68 61 34 27 34 34 21 15 10 14 Grade 4 English Lang. Arts 58 57 8 13 50 44 23 30 19 14 Math 53 51 10 16 43 35 37 36 10 12 Grade 5 English Lang. Arts 58 61 15 17 43 44 29 28 13 11 Math 51 57 24 25 27 32 28 26 21 17 Science & Tech. 46 52 18 22 28 30 38 34 16 14 Grade 6 English Lang. Arts 68 66 18 18 50 48 21 22 12 11 Math 58 60 31 27 27 33 19 24 23 16 Grade 7 English Lang. Arts 70 71 8 15 62 56 26 21 5 7 Math 54 51 22 20 32 31 33 30 13 18 Grade 8 English Lang. Arts 89 81 20 18 69 63 8 14 4 6 Math 59 52 20 22 39 30 27 28 13 19 Science & Tech. 37 43 1 5 36 38 45 38 18 20 Grade 10 English Lang. Arts 89 88 36 37 53 51 8 9 3 3 Math 80 78 49 50 31 28 15 15 5 7 Science & Tech. 72 69 18 24 54 45 22 25 7 6 All Grades English Lang. Arts 71 69 17 19 54 50 20 22 9 9 Math 61 59 28 27 33 32 25 26 14 15 Science & Tech. 51 54 12 17 39 37 35 32 14 13
Source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
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