Bilingual Spanish/English MCAS Tests

DESE produces bilingual MCAS tests in Spanish/English for all grades and subjects with the exception of ELA, as listed below:

• Grades 3–8 and 10/retest Mathematics
• Grades 5 and 8 STE
• Grade 8 Civics
• High school Biology and high school Introductory Physics

The Spanish/English editions are intended for:

• Spanish-speaking ELs who have been in the U.S. less than 3 years, and recommended for use by ELs at the beginning or intermediate levels of English proficiency who regularly access materials presented in Spanish. The Spanish/English editions may not be appropriate for ELs with advanced proficiency in English.
• Students enrolled in Spanish/English Dual Language programs who have received instruction in Spanish, in the same content area as the assessment, may be considered for the Spanish/English edition.

Taking a Spanish/English edition is accommodation number EL7 as described in the Accessibility and Accommodations Manual and the accommodation must be assigned during the student registration window as described in the Guide to the MCAS Portal, Part III: Student Registration .

The Spanish/English editions are available in computer- and paper-based formats. The computer-based test consists of stacked text, Spanish text above English text; the paper-based test consists of Spanish and English on facing pages (side-by-side). Students are able to select the option to see the toolbars and menus in the MCAS Student Kiosk in either Spanish or English.

New for 2026, scripts translated into Spanish are provided in a separate manual, Test Administrator's Scripts for the Spanish/English Tests, for test administrators to read to students in Spanish. Students may respond either in Spanish or in English. (Note that for all other MCAS tests, students may respond only in English.)

In addition to the expanded availability of MCAS tests translated into Spanish, students who are currently or were ever reported as an English learner may use a bilingual word-to-word dictionary or glossary on all MCAS tests. For additional information on bilingual word-to-word dictionaries and glossaries, refer to Bilingual Word-to-Word Dictionaries and Glossaries Authorized for Use by English Learners on the MCAS Tests .

Spanish translations of resources are available at the MCAS Resource Center .

Questions regarding the identification screening, placement, and reclassification of EL students should be directed to the Office of Language Acquisition at el@doe.mass.edu . For additional details, refer to OLA's Guidance on English Learner Education Services and Programming document on the Department's website. Questions about the Spanish/English bilingual tests may be addressed to the Office of Student Assessment Services at mcas@mass.gov or 781-338-3625.

Last Updated: February 24, 2026