Assessment/Accountability
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System

I. Document Purpose and Structure

Purpose

The primary purpose of this document is to provide local educators with a better understanding of the content knowledge and skills in mathematics that will be tested by the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) in grades 4, 8, and 10. This document builds upon the Massachusetts Mathematics Curriculum Framework (1996) 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 Mathematics Curriculum Framework learning standards upon which the tests are based;
• describing specific content knowledge and skills associated with the Mathematics Curriculum Framework learning standards that students are expected to demonstrate on the tests; and
• providing samples of questions similar to those that will appear on the tests.

Structure

This document contains three major sections:

I. Document Purpose and Structure

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

III. Mathematics Content and Skills to be Assessed by MCAS

Section III is divided into two main parts: an overview of the MCAS Mathematics Assessment in grades 4, 8, and 10; and grade-specific chapters. As indicated in the diagram below, the grade-specific chapters are organized first by content strand, e.g., Geometry and Measurement, and second by MCAS reporting category, e.g., Measurement. Reporting categories are the categories that will be used for reporting test results. For more information about reporting categories, see pages 6 and 14.

Each chapter in Section III consists of the following components:

Chapter Components

• Learning Standards: Mathematics Curriculum Framework learning standards upon which the MCAS tests are based;
• Assessment Expectations: Descriptions of the content knowledge and skills associated with these learning standards that students are expected to demonstrate on the tests; and
• Sample Questions: Sample questions similar to those that will appear on the tests and illustrative of the learning standards/assessment expectations that are the basis for each reporting category.

The Learning Standards and Assessment Expectations sections for each chapter are listed in opposing columns on a single page. The Learning Standards column on the left, in most cases, directly quotes learning standards from those published in the Mathematics Curriculum Framework, and references the applicable Framework page number(s) underneath the column. However, in some cases, the learning standard in the column is not a direct quote but, rather, represents a summary of the learning standard as it appears in the Framework. The assessment expectations in the right column are derived from the Learning Standards column entries. Although the entries in these two columns are related, they should not be interpreted as having a one-to-one correspondence.

Sample Questions for each chapter have been selected to illustrate how the learning standards and their related assessment expectations will be assessed by MCAS. It is important to note, however, that the set of sample questions in this document addresses only a selected number of learning standards/assessment expectations, and does not represent the complete range of possible questions that will appear on actual MCAS Assessments.

The assessment expectations that are represented by sample questions show a reference to the appropriate question number(s). It should be noted that questions often address multiple learning standards and assessment expectations, both within the content area and across content areas. For example, open-ended Mathematics Assessment questions require students to read and write, which are skills addressed by the learning standards contained in the Massachusetts English Language Arts Curriculum Framework.

Moreover, MCAS questions focus on the learning standards specified for the grade level being tested plus the standards identified at all preceding grade levels. Consequently, virtually all MCAS questions require students to demonstrate cumulative content knowledge and skills.

Please also note that sample questions were formatted in this document for informational purposes only and, for example, do not include all student directions or the amount of response space that will be provided for students in the actual Mathematics Test.

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 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 raise expectations for student performance by evaluating performance based on clear standards for content knowledge and skills. Without an assessment system based on clear and uniform 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 uniformly 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 serve on the MCAS Mathematics Assessment Development Committee can be found in Appendix B 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/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 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 in order to graduate. Students with disabilities will be allowed to use testing accommodations as appropriate. The 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 (LEP) students who have been in the United States for three or fewer years.

What types of questions will appear on MCAS?

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

• multiple-choice;
• short-answer (except in Science & Technology)¹; and
• open-response.

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.

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 numerous sub-categories within the content area called "reporting categories." (See page 14 for further explanation regarding reporting categories.) Results for schools and districts will indicate the percentage of students at each performance level for each content area tested, as well as overall student performance for each reporting category.

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

How will the results of the tests be used?

Improvements in Teaching and Learning

Local 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 near 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 in the 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