"[The Massachusetts Board of Education] is looking at possibly shortening the length of the test, which would be a token of wisdom on their part," he adds.

"It's mainly a political adjustment," he says, adding there may be some political pressure on the Board of Education.

However, Neri contends that the length of the test is justified by its comprehensive nature, which tests students on a range of important skills.

"The MCAS requires students to write out answers and engage in complex problem-solving," she says. "The idea that it takes too much time is wrong. This is not wasted time. It gives students time to practice skills that are important."

Caught in the crossfire between teachers and administrators, parents have mixed feelings on the issue.

Josie Patterson, a parent of two children in the Cambridge Public School system, a first grader at Cambridgeport School and a seventh grader at Graham and Parks School, draws a distinction between the usefulness of the MCAS on the level of the individual student and on the level of schools.

"Do I think the MCAS helps the students? No. But I don't think that's its purpose. It helps the way schools are evaluated," she says.

"There are so many problems with individual schools that until school reform takes place, there is no true way to evaluate the success of individual schools. The MCAS can help," she says.

Patterson emphasizes the dilemma many parents face in the MCAS issue.

"I'm not a teacher-basher," she says. "It's not that I disapprove of the job teachers and principals are doing. It's just that there are some good teachers, and then there are some bad teachers. And the purpose of standardized testing [like MCAS] is to level the criteria."

"There is no perfect way to improve schools. Teachers and principals are not used to being held accountable, and the MCAS heightens the competitiveness of schools, especially in Cambridge," she says.

Mary Anne Hart, a parent of a kindergartner, second grader and eighth grader at the Agassiz School in Cambridge, also supports the MCAS.

"I am personally very supportive of the test," Hart says. "It is a relief that we have a standard that we, as parents, can look at to compare to other schools and other cities throughout the Commonwealth."

Hart says she believes that the kind of curriculum framework that the MCAS is based on is essential to an education.

This kind of school reform and accountability is scaring some Massachusetts public schools, Hart says.

"The public schools should stop fearing tests," she says. "I think a lot of schools, especially in Cambridge, are scrambling to build a curricula around the test."

Responding to complaints about the administration of the test, the Board of Education has tried to address possible problems. For example, to deal with areas with bilingual populations, the Board of Education is considering developing a Spanish-language MCAS.

With mounting political pressure from teachers' unions and interest groups, the Board is now focusing increased attention on the problems of the MCAS.

And as the third round of MCAS tests approaches, teachers and education officials alike are waiting to see what effect the tests will have on the future of standardized testing in the Commonwealth.