Gloucester Alumni

By Douglas A. Moser
Staff writer

Gloucester High School sophomores last spring scored higher than the state average on the first science section of the MCAS exam, school officials said.

In Gloucester, 47 percent of students scored in the top two tiers - advanced and proficient - on the biology section of the test, compared with the state average of 42 percent.

In the chemistry section, 67 percent of Gloucester students scored in those categories, compared with the state average of 35 percent.

"Clearly the results were encouraging," said Superintendent Christopher Farmer.

This year's juniors, and some of this year's sophomores, took the science and technology portion last spring during the regular testing period for the MCAS. That portion will not be required for graduation until this coming spring for the Class of 2010.

"At first blush, we seem to be on track," Farmer said.

Part of the estimated $1.9 million renovations the School Department hopes to complete on Fuller School before it becomes a middle school is to modernize the science rooms.

"Part of this conversion is to make sure the science facilities are up to snuff," said Gregory Verga, vice chairman of the School Committee.

Farmer said the district is working on improving hands-on science learning in the elementary schools, bettering biology courses for freshmen to make sure they have enough courses for the test, getting better science equipment and developing new programs with the help of the nonprofit Gloucester Education Foundation.

"With their help, we were able to start a robotics program at the high school," Farmer said.

That program is an after-school activity for now, but Farmer said he wants to introduce it "into the general teaching program of the schools."

The state Department of Education also changed the passing requirement in math and English for the Class of 2010, making a score of 220 acceptable only if the student also takes two courses designed to bolster proficiency in the subject. A student will pass without taking the courses with a score of 240 - the line for proficient - or better.

Initially, the passing requirement for the science and technology section will be 220.