Education A State Capitals Roundup

Mass. Sees Steady Rise in Exam Pass Rate

By John Gehring — September 23, 2004 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Results from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System spring exams are in: Four out of five sophomores passed the tests, which are required for high school graduation.

The results reflect a steady improvement trend. The 80 percent passing rate for the sophomore class was 5 percentage points above last year’s, and 12 percentage points higher than three years ago.

State officials say the results from the mathematics and language arts tests prove that more students are living up to higher accountability expectations.

Critics claim the exams narrow classroom instruction and fail to take into account a broad range of students’ skills.

Despite the progress, achievement gaps persist. Sixty-nine percent of Hispanic students and 77 percent of black students passed the 2004 English exam, for example, compared with 93 percent of white students.

Events

Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum How AI Use Is Expanding in K-12 Schools
Join this free virtual event to explore how AI technology is—and is not—improving K-12 teaching and learning.
Federal Webinar The Trump Budget and Schools: Subscriber Exclusive Quick Hit
EdWeek subscribers, join this 30-minute webinar to find out what the latest federal policy changes mean for K-12 education.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Curriculum Webinar
End Student Boredom: K-12 Publisher's Guide to 70% Engagement Boost
Calling all K-12 Publishers! Student engagement flatlining? Learn how to boost it by up to 70%.
Content provided by KITABOO

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Quiz Are You Keeping Up With Trump’s Big Changes to K-12 Funding? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Quiz How Is Trump Changing School Discipline Rules? Take This Week’s Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Education Briefly Stated: April 30, 2025
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Quiz What Is Trump’s New AI Plan for K-12 Schools? Take This Weekly Quiz
Test your knowledge on the latest news and trends in education.
1 min read
Illustration of tasks assisted with AI.
Canva