"Did the parents think we took it seriously?" she adds.

Director of Student Achievement and Accountability Lenora M. Jennings says groups that oppose MCAS are "pretty savvy in what they say."

In particular, the Coalition for Authentic Reform in Education (CARE), a state-wide parent group centered in Cambridge, opposes the test as a high-pressure test.

They say the exam is biased, focuses on trivial and confusing questions, takes too much class time to administer and only widens the achievement gap between low- and high-income students.

"That's kind of a mantra that's heard around Cambridge," Jennings says. "It's heard and it's picked up by people who are on the fence."

Last year, she says school administrators tried to give kids a "reality check" and tell them that their performance on the test mattered for the district.

"I'm a little disappointed that didn't sink in," she says. "I'm not sure that applies to fourth graders. They go in guileless and do the best they can."