March 14, 2025
Dear Cohasset Public Schools Community,
In the November elections, the state of Massachusetts voted to no longer require students to pass MCAS as a graduation requirement. As we head into MCAS season across the state, it is important that I clarify what this vote means for our students and our district.
State law still requires all schools in Massachusetts to have all students in grades 3-10 sit for their ELA, Math, Civics, and Science MCAS exams.
District and school accountability (our "report cards"), as defined by the state of Massachusetts, will still be based on a formula of factors which include individual student MCAS scores, student MCAS participation, and general student attendance during the school year. This means that our student's daily attendance, MCAS scores, and participation rates still matter.
Eligibility for The Abigail Adams scholarship continues to be based on individual student’s MCAS achievement.
Though students have to, by law, take the MCAS tests, they do not have to pass to graduate.
Additionally and importantly, our district uses the MCAS data to assess ourselves and progress toward our school and district goals, to determine when students need additional support, and to make data-informed curricular decisions. Without the reliability of this data, we will lose a key resource that drives our work. As MCAS testing schedules are shared by your child's school, we hope that you will continue to support our district as we carry out what is expected of us by law and continue to encourage your child to take the test seriously so we can use the data as a driver for school improvement.
Ever Onward,
Sarah
On Wednesday, March 19, 2025, the School Committee will, during their regular meeting, have a public discussion regarding potential fee increases and additions for the FY26 school year. If you are interested in this topic, we invite you to attend the school committee meeting in person or watch online via Zoom or the live stream on Facebook. We also invite public comment on this topic. Public comment can be offered in person or via the Zoom chat feature. The School Committee will vote on the adoption of fees at a meeting on Thursday, March 27 at 7:00pm.
On February 5, I introduced the first draft of the FY26 budget for the district. You can view the Power Point presentation here and watch the presentation with commentary here.
Keeping up with our Anxious Generation purposeful play and responsible risk taking challenges, I am inviting you to join in on our March activities. This month, our challenges are:
Purposeful Play Challenge
March is here! Daylight lasts longer, I can hear the peepers, and the plants are popping up. Take advantage of the warmer weather and sunshine and take a family walk on the beach! While you're there, skip some rocks, build a sandcastle, or have a catch.
Responsible Risk Taking Challenge
This month is all about getting outside in the warmer weather and sunshine. Find a spot to take a hike. There are so many great spots locally -Turkey Hill, Wheelwright, Great Esker Park, Blue Hills, Borderland State Park. Choose a hike that is at the right challenge level for you and your child and let them try something new ~ climb a new rock, climb a tree, explore a new pay.
We are also excited to announce that the Cohasset Public Schools has a new Facebook page. Our District used to rely on Twitter to share news, announcements, and updates, however, we are shifting away from that platform and will now be sharing similar information via Facebook. We invite you to click here to Like and Follow our page to stay on top off all of the latest CPS news.
