SOUTH DEERFIELD — Frontier Regional School’s 2023 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test results showed consistent performances throughout the district as some students are still shrugging off the effects of the pandemic.

The Frontier School Committee reviewed the performances at its meeting this week, where Superintendent Darius Modestow gave a brief rundown of the numbers.

Modestow said middle and high schoolers have been consistent over the years, especially in English — although the eighth grade has underperformed compared to previous cohorts — and high school math scores have been excellent, with 50% of students meeting expectations and 15% exceeding expectations, compared to the state averages of 40% and 10%, respectively.

“We do a lot of front-loading with math that allows our scores to be more inflated than other schools,” Modestow said, explaining that staff members try to teach students a wide variety of math concepts early on so they can take more advanced courses, like calculus, in their latter years of high school.

Despite the strong scores, Modestow cautioned against using the MCAS results as the sole marker of student success at Frontier — or anywhere else for that matter.

“It’s just a snapshot, but it is something to look at,” he said. “We shouldn’t just use MCAS, there’s other things, but it’s one thing we have data for pre- and post-pandemic. … The MCAS is not a perfect test.”

Modestow’s position on the MCAS’ value is far from unique, as critics from around the state have called for eliminating the exam as a high school graduation requirement. Among those critics are the Massachusetts Teachers Association, which voted in August to back a ballot question aimed at removing that requirement.

MCAS was created in 1993 through an education reform law and the first tests were administered in 1998. Massachusetts is only one of eight states that tie standardized testing to high school graduation requirements, according to the teachers association.

There is some value in seeing the MCAS scores, though, as Modestow noted they can provide insight into what areas students are struggling in. They can also break down specific types of questions that kids are finding challenging. In the latest round of testing, Modestow said open response, or essay-style, questions in the English exam were the biggest downward trend.

“We have areas we need to work on and MCAS gives us indicators for adjustments from year to year,” Modestow said. “I am proud of our district and its continual work to have a balanced approach to using MCAS for assessing students and our teaching.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.