Passing 9th grade courses

Students passing all 9th grade courses

Definition: Percent of students in grade 9 taking and passing all of their coursework. Students are considered “passing” a course if they receive a letter mark of D- or higher; a categorical mark of passing, minimally acceptable, acceptable, good or outstanding; a numeric mark of 59.5 or higher; or receive full credit in a credit-bearing course.

This indicator is included in the Preparation & Transitions section of the Condition of Education in the Commonwealth Data Report focusing on a range of learning experiences to ensure college and career readiness. Critical steps include completion of ninth grade coursework and mastery of a rigorous program of study. Steps must also be taken to prevent students from dropping out, as well as to reengage and recover youth disconnected from school and/or employment to ensure future learning and success.

Source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: 2018-19 Ninth Grade Course Passing.

Low socioeconomic status: For the purposes of this report, low socioeconomic status is used as an umbrella term for such designations as: subsidy eligibility, low income, economically disadvantaged, and Pell grant recipients as defined by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, or Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education calculates “economically disadvantaged” (used for school year 2015 data and after) based on a student's participation in one or more of the following state-administered programs: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); the Transitional Assistance for Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC); the Department of Children and Families' (DCF) foster care program; and MassHealth (Medicaid).

Source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Understanding the Economically Disadvantaged Indicator.

Note: It is important for users of this data to understand that enrollment percentages and achievement data for "economically disadvantaged" students cannot be directly compared to "low income" data in prior years (prior to 2015) or other low income designations.

*While comparing indicators, please keep in mind that different data sources use different definitions of student subgroups.

Blog

Rethinking Grading

March 28, 2024

Schools have assessed student learning and growth with essentially the same grading system for more than a century. Since this system was created, the field has learned so much more about the way students learn, the systemic inequities embedded in the design of traditional grading and assessment, and what type of learning leads to success in life. Grading should be aligned with what we know about the learning process, child and adolescent development, and the demands of career, college, and community life. But traditional grading is so deeply ingrained in our culture, that making changes to this system can seem like an insurmountable task. That’s why we partnered with DESE and reDesign to support five unique high schools as they interrogate their traditional grading practices and make shifts toward new systems that better measure student learning and growth.