By David Fassler, Community Reporter
Hudson – Hudson public schools have seen steady improvements in MCAS scores, with some groups of students reaching 91 percent proficiency, the School Committee learned during its Oct. 25 meeting.
Tenth-grade students showed the greatest change in scores. Hudson High School Principal Brian Reagan said that this is quite common in many communities – the students start to realize at that age just how important MCAS scores are.
“High school is when the test becomes high stakes,” he added.
In math, science and engineering, students scoring advanced or proficient were above 70 percent for all categories of students at the 10th-grade level. The percent of students in that grade placed in the categories of needs improvement or warning was 41. The numbers showed a different story for the eighth-graders, in which 64 percent of students scored needs improvement or warning.
“We are thinking of science as a true science program, not just a science course,” Reagan said, as he outlined plans for improvement in science test scores. “We make sure the programs dovetail within schools and we will continue to focus on continuity in sixth grade through high school. We will continue to work on this.”
Tenth-grade students showed gains in math, with 79 percent of students scoring advanced or proficient compared to 61 percent of sixth- and seventh-graders. Half of all seventh-graders scored needs improvement or warning in math, while 46 percent of eighth-graders achieved needs improvement or warning.
In English Language Arts, 75 percent of students scored in the advanced or proficient category.
To improve student performance, both the middle and high schools plan to further develop the school's curriculum map, increase department collaboration and implement common instructional strategies.
