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Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System

Frequently Asked Questions about the Revised MCAS Grades 5 and 8 Science and Technology/Engineering (STE) Tests

September 2026

General Questions

Q: When will the revised grades 5 and 8 STE tests become operational tests?

A: DESE will administer the revised grades 5 and 8 STE tests in spring 2027. More information about the development of these tests can be found in the timeline.

Q: How are teachers involved in the development of the grades 5 and 8 tests?

A: As with all MCAS test materials, our Assessment Development Committees (ADCs), made up of Massachusetts educators, play a major role in reviewing the performance tasks that make up the revised test design. Educators review test materials, including simulations, story scenes, test questions, and scoring materials prior to field testing. Each committee also reviews all test questions and student performance data after field testing. In addition, a separate Bias and Sensitivity Committee (BSC) reviews all the testing materials before and after field testing.

Note: DESE is currently recruiting educators for all ADCs and BSC. The application deadline has been extended to the end of the day on Monday, October 12, 2026. Learn more about committee members' roles and responsibilities as well as how to apply .

Q: How are the MCAS performance tasks created?

A: Department of Secondary and Elementary EducationDESE works with a contractor to develop MCAS performance tasks, which include storylines and simulations. The MCAS test development process involves extensive reviews and field testing before each test question counts toward students' scores. It takes a total of two to three years for each performance task to be initially written, reviewed, and edited (by multiple educator committees, experts, and editorial staff), field tested by Massachusetts students, and then reviewed again with statistical information. Each step in the process is designed to ensure that test results are valid and reliable. More information about the MCAS test development process is available on DESE's Test Design and Development page.

Q: Is DESE developing MCAS performance tasks for the high school science tests?

A: No, at this time DESE is only developing MCAS performance tasks for grades 5 and 8 STE tests.

Revised Test Design and Performance Tasks

Q: What is the test design of the revised grades 5 and 8 STE Tests?

A: The revised test design will contain six performance tasks administered over two sessions. Five of the tasks are common tasks, and one is a matrix task. Common tasks count toward a student's score, while the matrix task will be either a field-test task or an equating task and will not count toward a student's score.

Q: What does each performance task look like?

A: Performance tasks consist of the following:

  • An illustrated storyline related to a science phenomenon
  • An interactive simulation in which students make observations and collect data
  • Selected-response items (including multiple-choice, multiple-select, and technology-enhanced items) and a constructed-response item aligned to the standards and practices in the 2016 STE Framework .

Q: How many points is each performance task worth?

A: Each performance task is worth 11 points. The selected-response items are worth a total of 8 points, and the constructed-response item is worth 3 points.

Q: How many total points are on the grades 5 and 8 STE tests?

A: In total, there are 55 points on each operational test that count toward a student's score.

Q: What resources are available?

A: The following information is available on DESE's Science and Technology/Engineering (STE) Test Design and Development pages:

Q: DESE has developed local-level classroom STE performance tasks. How do these relate to the MCAS performance tasks and are schools required to administer these local classroom tasks?

A: DESE has developed local-level classroom Science and Technology/Engineering (STE) performance assessment tasks. Both the local-level classroom tasks and the MCAS STE assessments are aligned to the standards and practices in the 2016 STE Framework . These local-level classroom tasks are designed to support high-quality STE curricula and DESE's deeper learning goals.

Schools are not required to administer the local-level classroom tasks; however, use of the tasks is encouraged. Student and teacher versions of the local-level classroom tasks are available on DESE's Local-Level Classroom STE Performance Assessment Tasks page.

Upcoming Resources

Q: Will DESE host a webinar to provide information about the revised grades 5 and 8 STE tests?

A: Yes, DESE will host a webinar on Friday, October 2, 2026, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. More information, including a registration link, will be available in an upcoming Student Assessment Update.

Q: When will new practice tests for the grades 5 and 8 STE tests be available?

A: New computer-based and paper-based practice tests will be available in fall 2026, including Spanish-English versions of the test. Practice performance tasks are available now on the MCAS Resource Center .

Q: Will there be access to individual student constructed responses for released test questions?

A: Student work samples will continue to be included with the released test questions. However, individual student-constructed responses will not be available.

Last Updated: September 30, 2026

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