Welcome to the TAYLOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

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Welcome to theTAYLOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

• Introduction to MCAS

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MassachusettsComprehensiveAssessmentSystem

• MCAS

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What is MCAS?

• MCAS an assessment designed to meet requirements
  of Educational Reform Law of 1993
• All tests are un-timed
• Grade 3 MCAS Reading and Math
• Grade 4 MCAS Composition, Reading, and Math
• Composition-rough draft and final copy
• Reading-2 sessions over a two week period
• Practice is a story with 2 multiple choice
  question and 1 open response question
• 2 sessions
• Read selection and answer multiple choice and
  open response questions
• Multiple choice-1 point each (36 questions)
• Open Response-one 4 point question, four 2 point
  questions

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What is MCAS?

• Math-2 sessions over a two week period.
• Practice is one multiple choice, one short
  answer, and one open response
• The test assesses
• Number Sense and Operations
• Patterns, Relationships ,and Algebra
• Geometry
• Measurement
• Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability
• The test has multiple choice, short answer, and
  open response questions
• Multiple choice-26 questions worth 1 point each
• Short answer-6 questions worth1 point each
• Open Response- 4 questions worth 2 points each

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How many questions will my child answer?

• Reading
• selection followed by multiple choice questions
  and open response questions
• Last year children responded to 41 questions only
  17 were reported
• MATH
• Arrangement of word problems, tables, graphs,
  number sentences with higher order math skills
  embedded
• There was only 1 computation problem (of the 18
  release questions)
• Last year children responded to 36 questions only
  18 were reported

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What type of questions was my child asked?

• The release questions from past tests are
  available through
• The Department of education website (for all
  grades dating back to 2008)
• http//www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/testitems.html

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Parent Reports

• The Parent/Guardian Report will show how well
  your third grade child performed in Reading and
  Math compared to the performance of third grade
  students at the Taylor School, the town of
  Foxborough, and the state overall.
• The Parent/Guardian Report will show range of
  scores (performance level) and the test item
  scores for your child.
• The Parent/Guardian Report also includes new
  information such as ways to help your child, and
  places to find additional information.
• Now scored with same group titles as all other
  grades

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What do the teachers do with this information?

• Review all testing data
• Align to current level of performance
• Classroom performance
• Common assessments
• Design instruction to match the needs of your
  child
• Both whole class trends and individual
• Monitor growth

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Where can I find additional information?

• The Department of Education www.doe.mass.edu
• all test items from past MCAS tests are
  available at http//www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/testitem
  s.html