I.   Department of Education’s School Directory

II.  Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS)
MCAS is the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System and is governed and mandated by the Massachusetts Department of Education.  MCAS testing occurs within the domains of English Language Arts (Reading and Literature), Mathematics, Science and Technology, and Social Studies.

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) was implemented in response to the Education Reform Law of 1993, which required that MCAS be designed to:

1. Test all public school students across the Commonwealth, including students with disabilities and students with limited English proficiency;
2. Be administered annually in selected grades;
3. Measure performance based on the learning standards as defined in theMassachusetts Curriculum Frameworks;
4. Report the performance of individual students, schools, and districts; and
5. Serve as one basis of accountability for students, schools, and districts.

In addition to meeting the requirements of the Education Reform Law, the MCAS tests also fulfill the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 1993.  NCLB requires annual assessments in reading and mathematics for students in grades 3-8 and high school.  Students also must be tested annually in science in an elementary school grade, a middle school grade, and a high school (10-12) grade.  This requirement is fulfilled in Massachusetts by testing students in grades 5, 8, and high school.

Students are administered the MCAS according to the following schedule, as defined by the Massachusetts Department of Education and as reported on the DOE’s web site.

Massachusetts Department of Education Information – MCAS

Enrollment Indicators

Schedule of Exams for 2006-07

MCAS Test Results – 2006

Performance Level Percentages –Academic Division

MCAS Test Results – 2005

Performance Level Percentages – 2005

Results by Race, Gender, Special Education, & Sub-Group Population

MCAS Test Results – 2004

Performance Level Percentages – 2004

Participation Results by Grade & Subject

Results by Race, Gender, Special Education, & Sub-Group Population

MCAS Annual Comparisons – 2002 thru 2006

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), Mid-Cycle IV, and Report Card - 2005

Cycle IV AYP Accountability Report

MCAS Test Items

III.  The Massachusetts English Proficiency Assessment (MEPA)
The Massachusetts Department of Education administers the Massachusetts English Proficiency Assessment (MEPA) in order to evaluate the English proficiency of all limited English proficient (LEP) students in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  The MEPA tests are based on English Language Proficiency Benchmarks and Outcomes for English Language Learners, which are detailed and available at http://www.doe.mass.edu/ell/benchmark.pdf.  Additional information on the purpose, content, structure, and reporting for MEPA can also be found on the Department of Education’s English Proficiency Assessment web page at http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/epa/.
Title III of the No Child Left Behind Act of 1993 (NCLB) requires states to report annually on the English proficiency performance and progress of LEP students.  In addition, Chapter 386 of the Massachusetts Acts of 2002 (known as "Question 2") requires English language learners in Massachusetts to participate in assessments of English language proficiency.  The MEPA program is administered in order to comply with these state and federal assessment requirements, and to:

1. Provide data and resources to strengthen curriculum, instruction, and classroom assessment;
2. Measure the progress made by LEP students toward English proficiency; and
3. Identify LEP students who have achieved proficiency in English.

The MEPA consists of two assessments:

1. The Massachusetts English Proficiency Assessment-Reading and Writing (MEPA-R/W), which replaces the Language Assessment Scales-Reading/Writing (LAS-R/W); and
2. The Massachusetts English Language Assessment-Oral (MELA-O), which assesses proficiency in both Comprehension (Listening) and Production (Speaking).

The MEPA - R/W and MELA-O will be administered to ELL-identified students in grades 9-12 in two sessions.  The first session takes place in the fall between October 23-31, 2006, and the second session takes place in the spring between February 12 - March 16, 2007.