1. MCAS 2.0- What Parents Need to Know
Morris Elementary School 2017
Presented by: Carolyn Boyce, M.Ed. Principal of Morris Elementary School

2. Why do we give state standardized testing?
We are required by law
MCAS emerged out of Massachusetts Education Reform Act of First MCAS test given in 1998.
Federal requirement started with No Child Left Behind (NCLB), Bush administration, 2001
Continues under Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Obama Administration, Dec. 2015
It allows us to see how our students perform as compared to other students across the state
Helps us to determine areas of academic instruction that need improvement. Assess how well we are teaching the MA Frameworks.
Helps us to determine which subgroups of students need more academic support

3. Some important terms and acronyms...
MCAS- Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System
MCAS 2.0- latest version of the MCAS debuting this year (2017)
Next Generation MCAS- another term for MCAS 2.0
Legacy MCAS- the old MCAS
PARCC- Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. State piloted and then abandoned ship...sort of
CBT- Computer-Based Testing
PBT- Paper-Based Testing

4. Total number of schools
2017 Testing Mode Summary
Public schools administering CBT only : 40% (565 schools)
Public schools administering PBT in at least one grade/subject: 60% (840 schools)
This is based on the 1,405 public schools serving students in grades 3–8, such as elementary schools, middle schools, and combined elementary/middle schools.
Gr. 3
Gr. 4
Gr. 5
Gr. 6
Gr. 7
Gr. 8
Schools doing CBT
38%
93%
41%
42%
95%
Schools doing PBT
62% 7%
59%
58% 5%
Total number of schools
973
961
894
589
505
500
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

5. Transition to Next-Generation Tests for Grades 3–8 ELA and Math
2017
CBT required* for gr. 4 and 8
CBT optional for gr. 3, 5, 6, and 7
2018
CBT required* for gr. 4, 5, 7, and 8
CBT optional for gr. 3 and 6
2019
CBT required* for 3–8 and 10
* Paper test accommodation for students with disabilities or new ELLs
See for details.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

6. Grades 5 and 8 Science and Tech/Eng Transition Plan
2016–17
(PBT)
2017–18 (CBT)
2018–19 (CBT)
Assesses 2001/2006 standards
Assesses overlapping 2001/2006 and 2016 standards
Assesses 2016 standards
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

7. Number of Sessions Mathematics ELA Gr. 3–6: 2 non-calculator sessions
Grades 3–5: 3 sessions
Grades 6–8: 2 sessions
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

8. 2017 MCAS Test Design
Next-generation ELA and Mathematics tests will be a combination of
Legacy MCAS test questions
Newly developed MCAS test questions
PARCC test questions
math.pptx
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

9. What’s New- ELA
The introduction of EBSR – Evidence Based Selected Response: Relies on a student’s ability to find evidence in the text. There are multiple choice parts. Part A and Part B. If a student answers part A incorrectly, part B will automatically be scored wrong.
Technology enhanced questions
The addition of short response questions on the grade 4 test
The elimination of the long comp in grades 4 and 7
The introduction of a Narrative writing task in grades 3-8
Open Response is now called Text-Based essay. On legacy MCAS students were not penalized for spelling and grammar. These elements will be scored with the new test.

10. ELA Example
Part A
Throughout the first half of the story, Dad can best be described as feeling
brave.
amused.
peaceful.
determined.
Part B
Which sentence from the story best supports the answer to Part A?
“Derrick had never been camping or fishing.” (paragraph 1)
“Great Idea’, Dad said.” (paragraph 2)
“Dad and I didn’t realize how true that would turn out to be.” (paragraph 3)
“Minor setback’, he assured Derrick. (paragraph 13)

11. What’s New-Mathematics
Legacy MCAS
MCAS 2.0
Question Types
Multiple choice
Short answer
Open response
Question Types
Multiple Choice
Multiple Select
Technology Enhanced (drag and drop, etc)
Fill in the blank
Short answer
Open response (sometimes called multiple part)

12. What’s New-Math Cont’d
Legacy MCAS
MCAS 2.0
Open response questions would build upon each previous part calling on the students to use their answers from part A and B to answer part C
Open response questions call on students to synthesize information without “leading” them to the correct answer for the final part(s)

13. Math Example Legacy MCAS MCAS 2.0
The perimeter of the park is 42 miles.
Part A- Find the missing sides of the rectangular park.
Part B- Find the area of the park.
Part C- A ranger estimates that there were 9 deer in each square mile. If this estimate is correct how many total deer are in the park? Explain your answer using numbers, symbols, and words.
The perimeter of the rectangular park shown is 42 miles.   A ranger estimates that there are 9 deer in each square mile of the park.  If this estimate is correct, how many total deer are in the park.  Explain your answer using numbers, symbols, and words.

14. Preparing Students
Students can ask for help from a test administrator to locate a tool or navigate to a test question, as requested by student
New accessibility feature: students may ask test administrator to read aloud selected words (Math and STE only).
For CBT, familiarize students with student testing platform (“TestNav”)
Student tutorial
Practice tests
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

15. Student Tutorial navigate through the student testing platform
Shows how to …
navigate through the student testing platform
use different onscreen tools and accessibility features
use CBT accommodations
enter seal codes at the beginning of a session
review responses before submitting a test
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

16. Materials Needed for Testing – CBT
Required materials
Computer for each student
Computer for test administrator
Scratch paper
Pen/pencil for scratch paper
Testing tickets
Seal codes
CBT-embedded materials
Rulers
Reference sheets*
Calculators*
Notepad for ELA
Highlighter and other tools
* Ok to print/give out
Note: Headphones only for use with Text-to-Speech edition.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

17. What is permissible for test administrators to help students with technology during testing?
Examples of allowable assistance, after a student tries but cannot figure out how to use interface:
Logging students in
Pointing to a tool button (e.g., the calculator or answer eliminator button)
Helping a student use the drag-and-drop feature
Showing how to move through the test using arrow keys
Helping a student submit his or her test
Example of prohibited assistance:
Telling a student to use the calculator or a specific tool on a particular question
Telling a student the correct answer when using the drag-and-drop feature
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

18. Test Security Requirements for Students
During testing, students must NOT …
preview test materials
copy others’ work or communicate with other students
ask for or accept any coaching
let someone else answer for them
work in a different test session
use materials that are prohibited during testing
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

19. Results will be invalidated for students who use cell phones or other electronic devices at any time during a session, including after a student turns in his or her test materials, during a break, or during the transition to a test completion area.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

20. Supporting Your Child Emphasize effort over results.
Check in to see how your child is feeling about MCAS testing.
Follow your child’s lead.
Help your child understand that testing in elementary school is not “high stakes.”
MCAS 2.0 is new to everyone and we are all figuring it out together.

21. Let’s Take a Look!
mcas.pearsonsupport.com