Lussier on MCAS: Strong Across the Board Though Science Scores Lag

After the MCAS scores were released Wednesday, Wellesley Patch asked Superintendent David Lussier to comment on how Wellesley scored. Below are his unedited comments e-mailed to Wellesley Patch Wednesday Afternoon:

While we are still combing through the data, I can share some overall reactions. Also, it's important to note that we are monitoring both absolute attainment as well as student growth:

Attainment

Our students' scores are consistent with our past performance in ELA [English Language Arts Composition] and Mathematics. ELA, in particular, remains an area of strength across grades.

99% of our 10th grade students at Wellesley High School were Advanced or Proficient in ELA. 98% of 10th grade students at Wellesley High school were Advanced or Proficient in mathematics. With students placed in out-of-district programs included, our percentage of students at Advanced/Proficient was 98% in ELA and 96% in mathematics.
There is a significant shift of 8th grade students into Proficient/Advanced categories from Needs Improvement in Science (from 41% to 65% Proficient/Advanced).

Student Growth

In 8th and 10th grade our students continue to show high growth in mathematics, (SGP of  63 at both grade levels) exceeding what the state considers to be typical growth, i.e. 40%-60%.
Our 8th and 10th grade high needs students show high growth in both ELA (SGP of 62.5 and 66 respectively) and mathematics (SGP of 62 and 60.5 respectively).
Our ELL students district-wide are in the 67th percentile for growth in ELA.

Areas of Concern

Overall, our Science scores are not on par with our ELA and Math results.
We would like to see more consistent growth and attainment in Math from elementary through middle school.