The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) is a statewide standardized test used by school districts and teachers to identify areas where students need more help, refine lesson plans, and even select different curriculum resources to help students reach higher expectations. This upcoming year of 2019 brings some changes to the traditional pen-and-paper style of the MCAS, requiring that students take it online. To make the transition as seamless as possible, the Department is still making paper-based versions available during the transition period and will offer them on an ongoing basis as an accommodation for some students.

Rachel Otty, a recent winner of the Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms Award, a grant recognizing excellence in teaching, will be spending three weeks in India this summer to build a deeper understanding of the differences between the education systems in India and the United States.

An observational study conducted by the Statens Serum Institut in Denmark kept track of 657,461 children that were given the measle, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine for eleven years (1999-2010) and found that less than 1% of children were diagnosed with autism.

Tucked away on the second floor of the Arts Building is a zen, blue room, home to CRLS’ Bridge for Resilient Youth in Transition (BRYT) program. Many CRLS students pass by the “welcome” sign on the door daily, yet have no idea about the program that operates inside.