Among students below benchmark at the start of grade 1, meeting screening benchmarks earlier is associated with higher grade 3 MCAS proficiency rates¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r1 · q2
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? 67% of students who met benchmarks at BOY of grade 1 met or exceeded MCAS expectations, versus 50% of those who met benchmark by EOY of grade 1 and only 15% of students who never met benchmark in grades 1 or 2. → Lemke 2025

Evidence¶

Lemke 2025¶

Lemke, M., Soo Ping Chow, A., LeBeau, B., & Quesen, S. (2025). Stuck at red: Persistent early literacy gaps and later state test performance. WestEd. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED677637

q2 · i? · associational · r1

Pathway analysis (Figure 4) of students identified as at significant risk at BOY of grade 1, grouped by when they first met screening benchmarks. Over 80% either never got on track or got on track by EOY of grade 1; only 15% of students who never met benchmark met MCAS expectations.

"Two thirds (67%) of students who met screening assessment benchmarks at BOY of grade 1 met or exceeded expectations on MCAS. Of students who were below or significantly below benchmark at BOY of grade 1, 50 percent who met benchmark by EOY of grade 1 met or exceeded expectations on MCAS"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Screening assessment benchmarks indicating significant risk shift up and down on the MCAS scale within and across grades, so students with the same skills may be classified differently at different times — related
• Early screening benchmark status predicts later performance: most beginning-of-year at-risk students stay at risk, and meeting benchmarks by end of grade 1 is associated with much higher grade 3 MCAS odds — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Few students identified as significantly below benchmark in grades 1–3 met MCAS expectations 1 or 2 years later, with higher rates for earlier identification — related
• Exploratory analysis found no observed differences in later MCAS performance between students just below and just above screening risk thresholds — related
• Literacy screener benchmarks predict which grade 3 students will not meet MCAS ELA expectations, but not necessarily who will meet them — related
• A schoolwide literacy initiative based on deeper learning rapidly and sustainably raised achievement at a large low-income high school — related
• The predictive value of grade 3 screening benchmarks for MCAS ELA proficiency varies widely: 15 to 69 percent of students classified as on track did not reach MCAS proficiency, and students flagged at risk rarely met proficiency — related