Media Contact:
Dan O'Brien, Chief Communications Officer
Email; 774-525-1817
WORCESTER – Tuesday, September 24, 2024 – Today, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released annual accountability data for all public schools and districts in the Commonwealth for the 2023-24 school year that ended on June 30.
The accountability data are reflective of student scores on the annual Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam along with other indicators, such as student attendance, graduation rates, advanced coursework, and English language proficiency.
As a district, Worcester Public Schools (WPS) was given an overall classification as “not requiring assistance or intervention” due to “making moderate progress toward targets.”
Of the 44 WPS schools to receive an accountability classification, 30 were deemed “not requiring assistance or intervention.”
WPS met 44% of its targets in 2023-24, an increase of 3 percentage points from 2022-23.
Five schools increased their accountability percentile scores from 2022-23 to 2023-24.
WPS remains part of a statewide trend in the decline of performance on the MCAS assessment. Twenty-nine schools dropped between 1 and 9 percentile points; six schools declined by 10 points or more. Four schools saw no change in their scores.
View the full WPS accountability data online.
“The district continues to take significant steps toward ensuring our scholars are gaining the critical skills they need,” said WPS Superintendent Rachel H. Monárrez, PhD. “In the 2023-24 school year, we adopted high-quality instructional materials for grades K-12 across a variety of subjects. Educators and caregivers must remain united in doing all we can to ensure our scholars are future ready.”
WPS remains focused on implementing the goals rooted in the five-year strategic plan, Our Promise to the Future, which outlines key priorities to ensure our scholars will be future-ready and successful.
Districts across Massachusetts have experienced declines on MCAS scores since 2019. In English Language Arts, the percentage of third graders statewide who did not meet expectations increased from 8% in 2019 to 18% in 2024. In Worcester, it was 16% in 2019 and 32% in 2024. By comparison, in Lowell, it was 12% in 2019 and 31% in 2024; and in New Bedford, it was 12% in 2019 and 30% in 2024.
###