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New Standards Will Mean A New MCAS

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, or MCAS, will look very different under the newly adopted national education standards.

The state has two-and-a-half years to change public school curriculum to match national standards, and change the way the MCAS is given. Many educators call it an aggressive timeline.

Deputy Commissioner of Education Jeffrey Nellhaus said they are working with other states to develop smaller assessment tests to give earlier in the year.

"There will be several of what they call 'through-course assessments,' short assessments and a final test at the end of the year, all of that rolled up into a final score," Nellhaus said. "The goal is to get the MCAS results back to schools before the end of the year."

This program aired on February 16, 2011. The audio for this program is not available.

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