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Center for Instructional Support

Science gear STE Assessment Resources

MCAS

Student Assessment Services provides information about the end-of-year MCAS exam, practice tests, released test items, and other supports at Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System.

Instructional Support, in collaboration with Student Assessment Services, provides instructional guidelines to support standards-aligned instruction. This guidance is aligned with the assessment expectations of the MCAS test based on the 2016 Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework. The information provided in these documents are not an exhaustive list of what will be assessed on the MCAS test. These documents may be updated as necessary; please refer to the revision dates on the bottom of each document.

New 5th and 8th Grade STE Performance Assessment

DESE is developing a new Science and Technology/Engineering (STE) test for grades 5 and 8 that is designed to support DESE's goals of deeper learning for all students. The new STE assessment will build on the current MCAS grades 5 and 8 STE tests by having students dive deep into performance tasks focused on real-life scenarios. The design of the new assessment is based on best practices for STE learning, mirroring the design of high-quality STE curricula.

For more information about the new assessment and resources to support the transition, please visit the Student Assessment site.

Classroom Assessment

The 2016 PK–12 Science & Technology/Engineering Frameworks emphasize the teaching of science content using the Science and Engineering Practices. We recommend that classroom-based assessments also examine practices along with content.

DESE is currently developing local-level classroom STE performance assessment tasks, which will be posted on the Student Assessment site on a rolling basis. The tasks are designed to complement the new grades 5 and 8 STE MCAS performance tasks and to support DESE's deeper learning goals for all students.

The classroom tasks require students to apply their knowledge and skills to real-world problems. The tasks include hands-on investigations using computer simulations and manipulatives, group work, and individual student work.

Access the tasks at Local-level Classroom STE Performance Assessment Tasks.

Additional resources for classroom performance tasks are available at the following sources:

Professional Development

Pending funding, DESE will be looking for districts to identify Science Performance Assessment (SPA) Ambassadors for school year 24-25 to support educators and students within their district to become familiar with Science and Technology/Engineering (STE) assessment practices in support of deeper learning. SPA Ambassadors have the exciting opportunity to gain the skills and tools needed to lead science assessment literacy trainings for grades 3–8 educators in their school/districts. For more information about the program, please visit the SPA Ambassador site.

Last Updated: July 9, 2024

 
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