Guidance and Notes for Schools on the 2024–25 MCAS and ACCESS for ELLs Testing Schedule

Spring 2025 MCAS Testing Schedule and Administration Deadlines — December 9, 2024

Guidance on Test Dates and Holiday Observances

Principals should be aware that state and federal laws require schools to make reasonable accommodations for the religious needs of students and employees in observance of holy days as directed by this guidance. Students who are absent from school in observance of a holiday may participate in a make-up session as soon as possible after the regularly administered session. Schools may contact DESE's Office of Student Assessment Services with questions.

Schools should be mindful of spring holiday observances that occur during the spring testing windows so they can support students and their families.

• Passover will begin at sundown on April 12, and people who observe the holiday may be absent on the second day of Passover, which falls on April 14 (during the grades 3–8 ELA testing window).

• Good Friday occurs on April 18, which falls during the grades 3–8 ELA testing window.

• The length of time of the Ramadan holiday is a challenge to schedule around; our experience in consulting with others is that students are attending school during this period (and participating in regular school activities, instruction, and tests), but they may need a little time to adjust to the observance. Schools where students will plan to be absent in observance of the holiday during a prescribed testing window may wish to contact DESE to discuss options.

  The March retests will begin about a week after the start of Ramadan (ELA retest session 1 is scheduled for March 6), and the spring testing windows begin about four weeks after the start of Ramadan.

Notes for Grades 3–8 Schools

DESE expects to administer the MCAS Civics test operationally in spring 2025 for all students, and an MCAS Alternate Assessment will be available for Civics as well. The Civics testing window is included in the attached initial schedule. Information on the Civics test is available on this DESE webpage.

Notes for High Schools

November 8 may be used as an ELA make-up day, and all high schools must wait to administer Mathematics Session 1 until November 12.

The AP exam schedule for 2025 has not been posted yet, and if adjustments are needed to spring MCAS test dates because AP exams will fall during grade 10 MCAS test dates, DESE will update the schedule in the fall.

Next Steps

In the fall, DESE will provide a full schedule that contains test administration deadlines. Additionally, DESE will hold a window in the fall for schools to request a waiver from the computer-based testing expectation (e.g., technology constraints that make computer-based testing unfeasible); as in the past, schools can assign a paper-based test to students using that accommodation on a case-by-case basis (not through this waiver process).

Schools that previously scheduled activities and now find a conflict with one of the high school prescribed dates should contact the Office of Student Assessment Services .

Thank you.

Last Updated: December 10, 2024