Assessment/Accountability MCAS
Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System

New Features Planned for the Massachusetts English Proficiency Assessment (MEPA) Program

The purpose of this memo is to inform you of several important new features planned for the MEPA program over the next five years.

New K-2 Reading and Writing Tests

As you know, the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law requires states to assess all limited English proficient students in grades K-12 in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. In response to this mandate, the Department of Education will develop new reading and writing tests for grades K-2. These tests will be administered to all K-2 LEP students for the first time in spring 2009 and will be based on the English Language Proficiency Benchmarks and Outcomes for English Language Learners, as are the current MEPA tests for grades 3-12.

These tests will include age-appropriate test items and will allow a student to provide responses either by pencil, speaking, or pointing to their selected responses, which will be transcribed by the test administrator into an answer booklet. The Department will conduct a small-scale pilot for these new tests in late winter or early spring 2008.

Shift to Online MEPA Testing

Many states are exploring the use of online (i.e., computer-based) testing as an alternative to traditional paper-and-pencil assessments because they provide results more quickly, allow students to use the technology they already use in their classrooms, and reduce the use of paper. After carefully examining the availability of current technology in Massachusetts schools, and since LEP students comprise only a portion of the student population in most schools, Massachusetts will move gradually to online testing for a portion of LEP students in grades 3-12, beginning with the spring 2009 MEPA-R/W. The Department will invite schools to participate in online MEPA testing on a voluntary basis beginning in spring 2009, and plans to meet the following minimum participation goals each year of the new MEPA contract:

• 20 percent of LEP students participating in 2009
• 40 percent of LEP students participating in 2010
• 60 percent of LEP students participating in 2011 and 2012

The Department will also provide considerable support and staff training to schools with LEP enrollment to make this transition possible. The MEPA online testing initiative will also make it possible to transition thoughtfully to an online testing program for all students in the future.

New "Locator" Tests to Support Schools

As you recall, the current MEPA program requires students to take two of three available reading test sessions, and two of three writing test sessions. In the past, schools have been required to evaluate which pair of reading and writing test sessions would be most appropriate for each student, based on the school's evaluation of the student's overall performance in that area. In response to your feedback, the new MEPA program will provide schools with "locator" tests in each grade span, which will be administered to all LEP students immediately prior to the MEPA administration. The "locator" test, which will include approximately fifteen questions each in reading and writing, and require approximately 30 minutes to administer, will identify the most appropriate pair of test sessions to administer to each LEP student.

More information on the future plans for MEPA will be provided at the MCAS/MEPA Spring 2008 Administration Workshops in February. I hope you will be able to attend.

Last Updated: January 24, 2008