In a trial year for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test, Vineyard schools generally performed well, with each school beating the state average for meeting or exceeding expectations. The PARCC test was administered last spring to grades 3 through 8; results were released on Wednesday this week.

On Nov. 17 the state is due to make a final decision on whether to use the MCAS, PARCC or what is being referred to as MCAS 2.0 as its testing mechanism.

“We are very pleased overall,” said Richard Smith, assistant superintendant of schools about the PARCC test results. “When there is something new you always wonder what the outcome is going to be. So there is relief and some excitement that they all held their own.”

Statewide, 60 per cent of students taking the test met the standard for meeting or exceeding expectations in English; in math the number was and 52 per cent. On the Island, the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School led the way, achieving an 83 per cent level of meeting or exceeding expectations in English and 67 per cent in math. Scores at other Island schools were as follows: Chilmark School, 71 per cent for English and 48 per cent for math; Edgartown School, 61 per cent for English and 55 per cent for math; Oak Bluffs School, 59 per cent for English and 53 per cent for math; Tisbury School, 62 per cent for English and 70 per cent for math; West Tisbury School, 66 per cent for English and 57 per cent for math.

Those scores were averages of all the grades, though, and scores in each particular grade varied. For example, at the Tisbury School there was a 100 per cent score for meeting or exceeding expectations in eighth grade algebra 1. Oak Bluffs also received a high percentage score of 90 per cent for its eighth grade algebra 1 test.

On the other side of the spectrum, only 32 per cent of fifth grade students at the West Tisbury school met or exceeded expectations in math, and 18 per cent of fourth grade students at the Edgartown School met or exceeded expectations in math.

Looking for trends throughout the grades, in general scores went up with the age of students. But because of the small population on the Island, percentage scores can vary widely from grade to grade due to the low sample population.

As to which way the state will vote on Tuesday, Mr. Smith said he is still not sure. Originally, there were 24 states in the PARCC consortium but because of the controversy surrounding the test last spring the number is down to six, including Massachusetts. One of the downsides of choosing PARCC, Mr. Smith said, is that by being part of a consortium, the state will lose some of its control over making decisions.