MCAS results show improvement in math, English results vary

MCAS results from the 2024-2025 school year have been announced and while Wareham is taking steps in the right direction in math — growth in English language arts varied and scores in the high school dipped during the first year without MCAS as a graduation requirement.

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, more commonly referred to as MCAS, measures the performance of public school students from grades three through eight and grade 10. All students are measured in math and English language arts and grades five, eight and 10 are measured in science as well. New this year is a two-part civics test given to eighth graders.

For years, 10th graders had to pass the MCAS exam to receive a high school diploma but following a state-wide vote last November, the requirement was stripped. Schools across the commonwealth still administered the test as a form of self-evaluation.

In a press meeting, state officials pointed out that less high school students reported proficient scores across the commonwealth which they attributed in part to the removal of the exam as a graduation requirement.

“We do have some evidence, whether it be in terms of the amount of students that left answers blank as compared to previous years or the amount of students who answered a question in an off-topic manner,” said Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Chief of Data and Assessment Accountability Robert Curtin.

The test results are collected by The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and are put into four categories based on performance: exceeding expectations, meets expectations, partially meets expectations and not meeting expectations.

This year, Wareham received state recognition for their improvements in math in grades three through eight because the scores showed they were at, or above pre-pandemic levels.

For example, 42% of fourth graders met or exceeded expectations in math this past year compared to the 24% of fourth graders who did so in 2019. The 42% is also an increase from 2024 by three percentage points.

Such an increase was the trend for grades three through six. All four grade levels showed an improvement this year compared to 2019.

However, not all grade levels saw the same increase. Grades seven, eight and 10 saw no increase or a decrease.

This past year, 11% of eighth graders met or exceeded expectations in math compared to the 24% who did so in 2019. In 2024, 18% of eighth graders met or exceeded expectations in math.

Overall, 29% of students in Wareham met or exceeded expectations in math compared to the state where 42% of students tested in math met or exceeded expectations.

Results in English showed most grade levels are still not at pre-pandemic levels and many did not score as well as a year ago, but results varied widely.

For instance, 39% of sixth graders met or exceeded expectations in English compared to the 54% of sixth graders who met or exceeded expectations in 2019. However, this past year’s 39% is a significant increase from 2024’s 26%.

The increase of 13 percentage points in sixth grade English scores from 2024 to 2025 was the largest positive jump in scores while the tenth grade saw a significant decrease in students meeting or exceeding expectations.

In 2025, 27% of tenth graders met or exceeded English expectations while 46% of tenth graders did so in 2024, which exceeded the pre-pandemic levels of 39%. 

Of the seven grade levels tested, only fourth and seventh grade showed improvement in English from both 2024 and 2019.

When compared to the state where 42% of students met or exceeded expectations, Wareham fell short with 31% of students doing so in English.

Grades five, eight and 10 also took a science exam that showed little variation in tenth grade from last year and a slight dip in the percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations in fifth and eighth grade.

In 2025, 23% of eighth graders met or exceeded science expectations which is seven percentage points lower than the 2024 results and eight percentage points lower than 2019.

Fifth grade science scores were similar to that of 2019. Thirty-seven percent of students in 2025 met or exceeded expectations compared to the 38% in 2019. Both of these scores are down compared to 2024 where 42% of eighth graders met or exceeded expectations.

Wareham finished with 31% of their students across the three grades meeting or exceeding expectations in science while the state recorded 42%.

New this year was a two-part civics test for eighth graders that included the state level performance task, an 11 question exam focusing on a variety of civics topics as well as an end of year exam.

The test was created by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education with the help of civics teachers. In Wareham, 17% of eighth graders met or exceeded expectations while most partially met expectations.

Tenth graders at Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School saw dips in the percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations in both English and science but an improvement in math.

41% of Upper Cape tenth graders met or exceeded expectations in English compared to 2024’s 51%. Fifty-one percent of tenth graders met or exceeded expectations in science, a slight dip of five percentage points from 2024.

In math, 46% of upper cape tenth graders met or exceeded expectations which was an improvement of eight percentage points from the previous year.