HomeMassachusetts › Grade 6 ELA guide

Massachusetts Grade 6 ELA: what your child's MCAS score means

On Massachusetts's MCAS, Grade 6 English Language Arts (ELA) is reported on a scale from 440 to 560, and each score falls into one of 4 performance levels. Reaching Meeting (at 500 or above) is the state's grade-level, on-track benchmark.

ELAMath
Grade 3Grade 4Grade 5Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8

Score ranges by performance level

LevelScore rangeWhat it means
Not Meeting440–469The lowest level, well below grade-level expectations
Partially Meeting470–499Approaching grade-level expectations
Meeting500–529Meeting grade-level expectations (the state proficiency line)
Exceeding530–560The highest level, above grade-level expectations

How Massachusetts students scored (2025)

22%36%32%10%

Statewide in 2025, about 42% of Grade 6 students reached Meeting or Exceeding in ELA. The bar above shows the share at each level (left = lowest).

Is a particular score good?

A score's meaning depends on where it lands in the ranges above, and on how it compares to other students. Our free tool turns a score into an estimated percentile versus the child's school, district and the whole state, so you can see exactly where a score stands, not just its level.

Look up your child's percentile →

Explore other grades & subjects

ELAMath
Grade 3Grade 4Grade 5Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8
← Grade 5 ELAGrade 7 ELA →
State Test Scores is an independent tool, not affiliated with or endorsed by any state education department or agency. Percentiles are statistical estimates from public performance-level data (Massachusetts DESE (MCAS)), not official rankings.
Massachusetts lookup · All Massachusetts guides · All states · About · FAQ