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README.md

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-OG licenses apply
+# Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) Dataset
+
+## Dataset Description
+
+This dataset contains student performance metrics from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) across all Massachusetts public schools from 2017-2024. The MCAS is a state-mandated assessment program for Massachusetts public school students that measures performance based on the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework learning standards.
+
+### Overview
+
+The dataset provides a consolidated view of MCAS performance results including achievement levels in different subjects, student growth percentiles, and demographic breakdowns. It combines data from multiple years that was originally published in separate Excel files with inconsistent formatting on the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) website.
+
+## Source Data
+
+- **Original Source**: [MCAS Performance Results](https://profiles.doe.mass.edu/statereport/mcas.aspx)
+- **Original Format**: Excel spreadsheets
+- **Years Covered**: 2017-2024
+- **Filter Selections**: District wise, Grades (3-8)
+- **Data Owner**: Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education
+
+## Dataset Structure
+
+The dataset contains 6,741 rows covering seven years of assessment data with the following key columns:
+
+- `District Name`: Name of the school district
+- `District Code`: Unique identifier for the district
+- `Subject`: Academic subject (e.g., English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science)
+- `Year`: Academic year of assessment
+- `Grade`: Grade level (3-10)
+- `Students Included`: Number of students taking the test
+- `% Meeting or Exceeding Expectations`: Percentage of students at proficiency level
+- `% Exceeding Expectations`: Percentage of students at advanced level
+- `% Meeting Expectations`: Percentage of students at proficient level
+- `% Partially Meeting Expectations`: Percentage of students at needs improvement level
+- `% Not Meeting Expectations`: Percentage of students at warning/failing level
+- `Student Growth Percentile`: Median student growth percentile
+- Various demographic breakdowns (e.g., by gender, race/ethnicity, economic status)
+
+## Intended Uses
+
+This dataset is designed for:
+- Educational researchers analyzing school performance trends over time
+- Policy makers evaluating the impact of educational interventions
+- School administrators tracking performance relative to state averages
+- AI developers training models for educational outcome prediction
+- Data scientists exploring correlations between demographic factors and academic achievement
+
+## Limitations
+
+- Achievement level definitions changed in 2019, requiring careful interpretation for longitudinal analysis
+- Some small districts or demographic groups may have redacted data for privacy reasons
+- Not all metrics are available for all years, subjects, or grade levels
+- District boundaries and school configurations may have changed over the time period
+- This dataset represents district-level aggregates and does not contain individual student data
+
+## Citation
+
+If you use this dataset in your research or applications, please cite:
+
+```
+Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education. (2017-2024). 
+Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) Performance Results [Data set]. 
+Retrieved from https://profiles.doe.mass.edu/statereport/mcas.aspx
+```
+
+## License
+
+This dataset is made available under the same terms as the original data published by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education, which is available for public use. When using this data, please attribute the original source as indicated in the citation.
+
+## Acknowledgements
+
+We thank the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education for making the original MCAS data publicly available, enabling the creation of this more accessible, AI-ready dataset.