Research Paper on:
Problems and the Massachusetts School System's MCAS Testing

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
decision to employ the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System as a means by which to academically evaluate the student population has come under a great deal of criticism for its broad-brush  application. At the core of the debate of whether or not MCAS testing is equitable for all students is the fact that it has proven to be significantly prejudice  in its application, with at-risk, minority and otherwise academically disabled students experiencing the severest consequences. In some levels, students can not advance to the next grade level without passing  the exam. From the outset, this particular student population faces considerably more challenges than their counterparts, in that they have to struggle just to achieve a modicum of understanding.  Richards notes how in decades gone by, teachers were under "no obligation to accept a student who brought unusual challenges" (Richards PG). It has become quite apparent that  this perspective has not been abandoned for a more realistic approach to educating the masses. "Schoolchildren receive a constant flow of information about their personal competence as students throughout  the school day. Clearly, the teacher is a crucial source of this information. Although teachers no doubt wish to build s self-esteem and imbue in them a sense of  personal competence, they may unknowingly do the opposite via the attributional messages they send to their students with learning disabilities" (Clark PG). I. NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING STUDENTS Indeed, the overall  consensus on MCAS testing is that as positively formulated as the program originally was, it has sorely failed to meet its objective, instead leaving behind a trail of segregation and  inequity in its wake. However, there are those who believe that even though it may take a bit more perseverance on the students part in order to attain the