Assessment/Accountability MCAS
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System

Threshold Scores on the 2007 MCAS Tests (updated 9/24/07)

The threshold scores for the 2007 MCAS tests have been updated to include high school Science and Technology/Engineering. During standard setting meetings this summer threshold scores were determined for Biology, Chemistry, Introductory Physics, and Technology/Engineering. These threshold scores have been added to the table below.

The threshold score is the minimum raw score (number of points) that a student must earn on an MCAS test for her or his performance to be classified at a particular performance level. For example, 19 is the minimum raw score that a student must earn on the 2007 MCAS grade 10 Mathematics test for the student's performance to be classified at the Needs Improvement level.

Because all common MCAS test items (common items are those upon which student results are based) are released each year, the 2007 common test items are unique and may vary in difficulty from common items on previous tests. To maintain standards and allow comparisons over time, threshold scores may change to reflect differences in item difficulty across years. A statistical process called equating adjusts the threshold scores for the 2007 MCAS tests in order to maintain the original MCAS standards.

Files to Assist in Your Analysis

The accompanying files (9/24/07) contain the 2007 MCAS raw to scaled score conversion tables for all subjects and grade levels. In addition, threshold scores for each performance level are listed at the end of this document. The conversion tables and the threshold scores may be used in conjunction with preliminary MCAS reports to generate results for students, schools, and districts. The final reports, which will be posted for school and district review at the end of September and released to the public during the first week in October, will provide official MCAS results.

To aid in data analysis, an updated version of TestWiz (version 9.74) is now available; it provides scaled scores and performance levels and offers other information as well.

* The maximum score is the total number of raw score points that a student could earn in the tested subject if she or he answered all of the multiple-choice questions correctly (one point per question) and received the highest possible score for every other question (four points for each open-response question, except two points for each grade 3 Mathematics open-response question; one point for each short-answer question, used in Mathematics only; and twenty points for the ELA Composition at grades 4, 7, and 10).

Raw-to-Scaled Score Conversion Tables (9/24/07)