September 11, 2025
Dear Parents and Guardians:
This fall students in grades 3-8, as well as second-year high school students, will be assessed in mathematics and reading required by federal and state legislation. By design, the assessments are aligned to the skills in Maine’s College and Career Readiness Standards, originally adopted in 2011 by the Maine Legislature.
The Maine Department of Education requires all schools to administer state assessments in the fall and spring. The Maine Comprehensive Assessment System (MECAS) for students in grades 3-8 and second year high school students, is a computer based assessment and will assess mathematics and reading using the Northwest Educational Assessment (NWEA) and Maine Through Year Assessment. The testing period allowed by the State extends from September 15 -October 24, 2025. Your child’s principal will be communicating the school’s test schedule to you.
As we do in all our testing and assessment practices, thoughtful consideration has been given to establishing a testing schedule and a testing environment conducive to students demonstrating their learning. To support your child’s participation in the State Assessment, please make sure your child attends school promptly during the testing process, and is encouraged, rested, and nourished. Students who are absent during the State Assessment will be required to participate in a make-up testing period as legislation establishes participation rates for all schools.
During the State Assessment period in which your child’s school tests, students will not be assigned homework in that content area.
Results will be available to both schools and parents/guardians at a later date. Individual student results, as well as classroom, school, grade span, and district results will be reviewed by our professional staff to identify increased opportunities to support learning while also identifying performance areas of strength. As useful as this data is in our analysis, our practice remains to review multiple data sources in developing instructional programs for students.
Parents/guardians are encouraged to visit https://www.maine.gov/doe/Testing_Accountability/MECAS to review state assessment information.
As always, thank you for your continued commitment to your child’s education and Bangor Schools. Certainly, contact your school principal if you have questions regarding the State Assessment administration.
Sincerely,
Kathy Harris-Smedberg, Ph.D.
Assistant Superintendent of Schools