Assessment/Accountability
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System

Guide to the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System: English Language Arts

February 1998

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

This document was prepared by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Dr. Robert V. Antonucci, Commissioner of Education

350 Main Street, Malden, Massachusetts 02148-5023 (781) 338-3000
* TTY: N.E.T. Relay 1-800-439-2370

This document and all Department documents and publications are also available
on our Internet site on the World Wide Web at www.doe.mass.edu.

Copyright 1998 by Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Permission is hereby granted to copy any or all parts of this document for non-commercial
educational purposes. Please credit the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Commissioner's Foreword

Dear Colleagues:

As you know, the state's new testing program, the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, will be administered to all students in grades 4, 8, and 10 for
the first time in May of 1998. This new testing program is based exclusively on the rigorous academic learning standards contained in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. It has been developed with the direct and intensive involvement of educators from across Massachusetts and with the support of the Board of Education. I am proud of our work in developing this critical new program that is designed to raise the academic achievement of all students of the Commonwealth.

In anticipation of this next phase of Education Reform, I am pleased to present to you the publication, Guide to the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System: English Language Arts. We intend for each subject guide to serve as a support to schools in their implementation of the Curriculum Frameworks as they prepare for the first administration of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System. I believe that teachers and administrators will find the sample materials provided herein to be particularly helpful in bringing the Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Framework learning standards to life in classrooms and schools.

Sincerely,

Robert V. Antonucci
Commissioner of Education

Table of Contents

Commissioner's Foreword

I. Document Purpose and Structure

II. Frequently Asked Questions About the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS)

What are the state testing requirements established by the Education Reform Law of 1993?
Why standards-based assessment?
How and by whom is MCAS being developed?
What are the advantages of a state-developed test?
What will be tested?
Must all students in grades 4, 8, and 10 participate?
What types of questions will appear on MCAS?
How will test results be reported?
How will the results of the tests be used?
What is the schedule for implementation of MCAS?
Where can more information about MCAS be found?

Background
Content Strands to be Assessed
Assessment Components

• Language and Literature Component
  • Learning Standards Assessed
• Composition Component
  • Short Session
  • Long Session
  • Learning Standards Assessed

General Guidelines

• Prior Knowledge of Specific Works of Literature
• Use of Reference Materials and Tools

Scoring Guidelines

• Language and Literature Component
• Composition Component
  • Focus and Development
  • Use of Standard English Conventions

Categories for Reporting Results

IV. English Language Arts Sample Assessment Materials

Grade 4

Language and Literature Component

Composition Component

Grade 8

Language and Literature Component

Composition Component

Grade 10

Language and Literature Component

Composition Component

Appendix A: Acknowledgments

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Document Purpose and Structure

Purpose

The primary purpose of this document is to provide local educators with a better understanding of how the English Language Arts learning standards will be tested by the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) in grades 4, 8, and 10. This document builds upon the Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Framework (1997),¹ and is meant to complement the Framework by

• answering frequently asked questions about MCAS;
• providing information about features of the tests and the categories in which test results will be reported;
• identifying the English Language Arts Curriculum Framework learning standards upon which the tests are based; and
• providing samples of reading passages and questions similar to those that will appear on the tests.

Structure

This document contains four main sections. This initial section explains the intent and structure of the document. Section II answers some common questions about the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System. Section III contains an overview of the design and features of the MCAS English Language Arts Assessment. In Section III, Tables 2 through 4 identify the English Language Arts Curriculum Framework learning standards that will be assessed by MCAS and refer to sample assessment materials in Section IV.

Sample assessment materials in this document have been selected to illustrate how the Framework learning standards will be assessed by MCAS. It is important to note, however, that this set of sample materials addresses only a select number of the learning standards to be assessed by MCAS, and does not represent the complete range of possible reading passages and questions that will appear on actual MCAS assessments. Please also note that the sample questions are not formatted as they will appear in actual test booklets, for instance, do not include all student directions or the amount of response space that will be provided.

MCAS English Language Arts Assessment questions focus on the general Framework learning standards and/or their corresponding grade-specific standards. Some questions focus additionally on standards identified for preceding grade levels. Consequently, students may be required to demonstrate cumulative reading and writing skills, e.g., grade 8 students may be tested on all learning standards identified in the Framework from Pre-kindergarten through grade 8.

1 Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, English Language Arts Curriculum Framework
(Malden, 1997).

TABLE OF CONTENTS

II. Frequently Asked Questions About
the Massachusetts Comprehensive
Assessment System (MCAS)

This document has been designed and written primarily for use by classroom teachers and educational administrators. It is intended to answer the question "What content knowledge and skills are expected of my students?" Parents and others may also find this document of interest, as it addresses some of the other most commonly asked questions about MCAS below.

What are the state testing requirements established by the Education Reform Law of 1993?

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System is the state's new testing program being implemented in response to the Education Reform Law of 1993. This law requires that the state's testing program be designed to

• be administered annually in at least grades 4, 8, and 10;
• measure performance on the academic learning standards contained in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks;
• report on performance of individual students, schools, and districts;
• serve as one basis for a system of student, school, and district-wide accountability, including eventual use at grade 10 to partially determine a student's eligibility to receive a high school diploma; and
• include the participation of virtually all students enrolled in the Commonwealth's public school system, including students with special needs and students with limited English (LEP) proficiency.

As mandated, the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System replaces the state's former testing program, the Massachusetts Educational Assessment Program (MEAP). Differences between the two programs are shown below. MCAS is one of several important components of the Education Reform Law designed to strengthen public education in the Commonwealth and to ensure that high school graduates of Massachusetts public schools are among the most academically well-prepared in the nation and the world.

Why standards-based assessment?

A fundamental goal of education reform in Massachusetts is to improve student performance through the use of state-wide standards for academic content knowledge and skills. Without an assessment system based on clear and uniformly held standards, some children may be exposed to rigorous coursework, while others are not.

The Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and MCAS together create a new state system designed to support students, parents, teachers, and schools by systemically promoting high academic standards for all students of the Commonwealth.

How and by whom is MCAS being developed?

MCAS is being developed by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in collaboration with committees of Massachusetts teachers and the Department's testing contractor, Advanced Systems in Measurement and Evaluation, Inc. Development of MCAS tests has been based exclusively on the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Committees have met monthly since January 1996 to identify the Curriculum Framework learning standards to be assessed by MCAS, and to develop test questions based on these learning goals. A list of Massachusetts educators who have contributed to the development of the MCAS English Language Arts Assessment can be found in Appendix A of this document.

What are the advantages of a state-developed test?

Some ask why the state is going to the expense of developing its own tests when commercial tests are available. First, the purpose of the state tests is to drive improvements in teaching and learning by providing information for accountability purposes. Consequently, the tests must be closely aligned with the learning standards. A shortcoming of commercial tests is that they cover some, but not all, of the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework learning standards. Second, a significant number of questions from the state-developed tests will be released to the public each year after the results of the tests are reported. This will help to communicate to parents and educators more precisely what is expected of students. Because the questions on commercial tests remain the same for several years, such a release of test questions is not possible. The fact that commercial tests remain the same from year to year can also jeopardize test security in general, especially when the results of the tests are used for accountability purposes. Since the state-developed tests will have new questions each year, security problems are minimized.

What will be tested?

The Education Reform Law requires that the tests be designed to measure the performance of virtually all students in grades 4, 8, and 10 on learning standards contained in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science & Technology, and History and Social Science. Tests in World Languages, as required by the 1994 amendment to the Law, will be phased in over time.

Must all students in grades 4, 8, and 10 participate?

Yes. Local educators and parents should plan for the testing of virtually all students. The Education Reform Law makes no provision to exempt any student from the tests. The primary reason for this policy is to ensure that all students are provided with an opportunity to learn the material covered by the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework learning standards. The participation of all students is especially important since students will have to demonstrate they have achieved the standards on the grade 10 tests as one requirement for high school graduation. Students with disabilities will be allowed to use testing accommodations as appropriate. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is currently designing testing alternatives for special education students who cannot be tested with accommodations, as well as for limited English proficient students who have been in the United States for three or fewer years.

What types of questions will appear on MCAS?

Four types of questions will be used at each grade level tested:

• multiple-choice,
• short-answer,²
• open-response, and
• writing prompts.³

Multiple-choice questions on MCAS Assessments require students to select the correct answer from a list of four options. Short-answer and open-response questions require students to generate, rather than recognize, a response. Short-answer questions require a brief response--for example, in Mathematics, a short statement or computation leading to a numeric solution. Open-response questions require students to provide more in-depth responses in writing or in the form of a chart, table, diagram, or graph, as appropriate. In English Language Arts, students will be required to complete writing assignments in response to writing prompts, some of which are related to reading passages.

How will test results be reported?

The results of the MCAS tests will be reported for individual students, schools, and districts according to four performance levels. The Board of Education will adopt performance level descriptions by content area and grade by the end of the 1997-1998 school year. These descriptions will also be important for teachers to use as criteria for evaluating student performance on locally designed and administered tests and assignments.

Each report will provide test results for each overall content area, as well as for additional sub-categories called "reporting categories." (See page 18 for further explanation regarding reporting categories.)

2 The use of short-answer questions varies across content areas tested by MCAS. See each content overview section for details.

3 not used on Mathematics or Science & Technology Assessments

How will the results of the tests be used?

Improvements in Teaching and Learning

Educators will use MCAS test results, together with the results of local tests and assessments, to identify strengths and weaknesses in curriculum and instruction, and to determine the needs of individual students in order to serve them more effectively. Parents and educators will use the results to monitor the extent to which students are progressing toward attainment of state-established learning standards.

School and District Accountability

The Education Reform Law requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to evaluate whether schools are improving student performance based on the learning standards contained in the Commonwealth's Curriculum Frameworks. In the future, the Board of Education will establish standards for performance as well as a system of rewards and sanctions for districts that improve or fail to improve student academic performance.

Student Accountability

The Education Reform Law of 1993 requires that, in addition to fulfilling local graduation requirements, students pass the state's grade 10 tests as a condition for receiving a high school diploma. Students will be given multiple opportunities, if necessary, to pass the tests. The Board of Education has determined that this requirement will be applied for the first time to graduates of the Class of 2003.

What is the schedule for implementation of MCAS?

Following a fifteen-month development process, a tryout of questions in Mathematics and Science & Technology was administered to all students in grades 4, 8, and 10 in the spring of 1997. A tryout of English Language Arts questions was also administered inthe fall of 1997. No student, school, district, or state results were reported for any tryout, since the tryouts were administered solely to determine if the questions would perform as expected. As the implementation schedule on the following page shows, the first actual MCAS administration (in Mathematics, Science & Technology, and English Language Arts) will take place in the spring of 1998.

Where can more information about MCAS be found?

For additional information about MCAS, call the MCAS Support Services line toll free at:

1-800-737-5103

You may obtain copies of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, as well as of
future MCAS-related Department of Elementary and Secondary Education publications, by calling the MCAS Support Services line, or via the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's website at:

www.doe.mass.edu/mcas

You may also call, write, fax, or e-mail:

Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System
Accountability and Evaluation Services
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
350 Main Street
Malden, Massachusetts 02148-5023
(781) 338-3000
TTY: N.E.T. Relay 1-800-439-2370
Fax: (781) 338-3630
E-mail: mcas@doe.mass.edu

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