Assessment/Accountability MCAS
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System

Parent/Guardian Information

September 2010

Dear Parents and Guardians:

Welcome to the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) parent and guardian webpage. The Department has established this page to provide you with information about the MCAS program. The menu on the left side of the screen will link you to this information and other related resources.

I want to call your attention to the following pages that you might find particularly helpful in increasing your understanding of the state's assessment programs.

• The MCAS Overview is a good source for basic information about the program.
• To review some of the actual questions your child answered on the most recent tests, select Test Questions. By looking at these questions along with the "How your child did on individual test questions" section on the back page of the Parent/Guardian Report, you can see the specific questions that your child answered correctly and incorrectly.
• If you are interested in looking at actual sample student responses and descriptions of student work for open-response questions and the ELA Composition, select Student Work/Scoring Guides.
• Parents of older children might want to consult Graduation Requirements to learn about the state standards each student must meet in order to be eligible for a high school diploma.
• Growth Model-Frequently Asked Questions provides an excellent overview of the Department's new growth model. Growth results were reported in Parent/Guardian Reports for the first time this fall.
• To view information about the MCAS Alternate Assessment or the Massachusetts English Proficiency Assessment, select MCAS-Alt or MEPA.

I encourage you to view these resources and the others listed in the menu. If you have questions, please contact the Office of Student Assessment at mcas@doe.mass.edu or by phone at 781-338-3625.

Thank you for your interest.

Sincerely,

Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D.
Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education