• Shawsheen Valley Technical High School

    ELA MCAS Information

    Tuesday, March 18, 2025

     

    Dear Shawsheen Sophomores and their Parents/Guardians,

     

    Next week, sophomores will participate in the ELA MCAS exam on Tuesday, March 25 and Wednesday, March 26. This message contains important information to ensure all students are prepared for next week.

     

    Importance of MCAS

    We encourage all students to take the MCAS exams seriously, and to put in their best efforts, starting with the ELA MCAS next week. Although students are no longer required to pass the MCAS exams to earn a high school diploma in Massachusetts, student participation in and performance on MCAS exams is still one of the most significant factors the state uses to assess Shawsheen annually through the accountability system in place for all public schools in Massachusetts. Additionally, in order to meet all of Shawsheen’s graduation requirements, students must successfully complete all three MCAS exams. To learn more about this, please view the communication I sent to students and families last month, if you have not done so already: Principal's Office / Updates re: MCAS, Competency Determination, & Graduation Requirements.

     

    Bring Your Fully Charged Laptop & Charger to School

    Students must have their school-issued laptops with them, fully charged, along with their chargers, when they arrive to school on Tuesday, March 25 & Wednesday, March 26. The ELA MCAS is administered online and students will need their school-issued devices in order to participate. No other electronic devices are allowed during testing.

     

    Early Dismissals

    Parents/guardians often decide to dismiss students early, once students have completed testing each day, since students do not resume their normal academic schedules after testing is complete. If you plan to dismiss your child after they complete testing on Tuesday, March 25 and/or Wednesday, March 26, send a written note to the school on or by Monday, March 24, 2025 providing permission for your student to be dismissed once they have completed testing (instead of writing in an exact time). Students should bring dismissal notes to the main office. Please note that students will not be dismissed from testing locations before 10:43am. If you plan to dismiss your student, please re-iterate with them that they should not rush through the exam in order to be dismissed at an earlier time.

     

    You’ve got this!

    It is natural to expect that some students will experience anxiety in anticipation of the testing dates next week. Our students take this exam seriously, and we applaud them for that! At the same time, it is important for students to remember that your English teachers believe in you (it’s true – they tell me this all of the time) and they have prepared you for this! You’ve got this.

     

    Sincerely,

    Jessica Cook

    (she/her/hers)

    Principal