Standardized Testing

There are no teachers, no school administrators and no school committee members in North Adams (or likely any other public school district) that support standardized testing as a central focus of a student’s education.

NCLB federal mandates and Mass D.O.E.’s MCAS (a state mandated standardized test tougher than any other in the country) are something public schools (including charter schools) are required to live with.

It’s a double-edged sword – public school systems have improved (including North Adams) as a result of the assessment testing. Yet it has led to a serious drain on the students, teachers and administration in addressing the multitude of demands that the mandates from others puts on them. And it takes significant time away from providing the education it's supposed to be assessing.