Is two weeks of MCAP testing really necessary?

[Anonymous]

DCs who came from another state in shock by the amount of wasted time on testing. Maryland does so much more testing than other districts. Our old one was 2 days max for the spring assessments. Google tells me many states are similar with 2-3 days of testing. Why does Maryland insist on this?

[Anonymous]

It's awful. At the elementary level there are 4 units of math and 4 units of ELA. The math tests are adaptive this year for non-accommodated test sessions so the kids can't proceed until they answer a question. We've seen plenty of students unable to finish the math sessions this year due to this inability to skip a problem and move on. Even worse, the scores probably won't be available until January since the math test is a different format than the past and they must do standard setting.
Our kids (and staff) will be burnt out by the end of this nonsense. Don't forget the kids are also taking math and literacy MAP tests this spring. I don't mind the MAPs because they do provide valuable and timely information.

[Anonymous]

I agree. MCAPs are a huge time waster. MAPs are useful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's awful. At the elementary level there are 4 units of math and 4 units of ELA. The math tests are adaptive this year for non-accommodated test sessions so the kids can't proceed until they answer a question. We've seen plenty of students unable to finish the math sessions this year due to this inability to skip a problem and move on. Even worse, the scores probably won't be available until January since the math test is a different format than the past and they must do standard setting.
Our kids (and staff) will be burnt out by the end of this nonsense. Don't forget the kids are also taking math and literacy MAP tests this spring. I don't mind the MAPs because they do provide valuable and timely information.

What does that mean, non-accommodated test sessions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's awful. At the elementary level there are 4 units of math and 4 units of ELA. The math tests are adaptive this year for non-accommodated test sessions so the kids can't proceed until they answer a question. We've seen plenty of students unable to finish the math sessions this year due to this inability to skip a problem and move on. Even worse, the scores probably won't be available until January since the math test is a different format than the past and they must do standard setting.
Our kids (and staff) will be burnt out by the end of this nonsense. Don't forget the kids are also taking math and literacy MAP tests this spring. I don't mind the MAPs because they do provide valuable and timely information.

What does that mean, non-accommodated test sessions?

Non-accommodated sessions are those taken in the general ed. classrooms. Kids that are pulled out might have accommodations like text to speech (test reads to them), human reader, scribe, etc. as outlined by 504, IEP or EL plans.

[Anonymous]

Blame the No Child Left Behind Act on this one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's awful. At the elementary level there are 4 units of math and 4 units of ELA. The math tests are adaptive this year for non-accommodated test sessions so the kids can't proceed until they answer a question. We've seen plenty of students unable to finish the math sessions this year due to this inability to skip a problem and move on. Even worse, the scores probably won't be available until January since the math test is a different format than the past and they must do standard setting.
Our kids (and staff) will be burnt out by the end of this nonsense. Don't forget the kids are also taking math and literacy MAP tests this spring. I don't mind the MAPs because they do provide valuable and timely information.

What does that mean, non-accommodated test sessions?

Non-accommodated sessions are those taken in the general ed. classrooms. Kids that are pulled out might have accommodations like text to speech (test reads to them), human reader, scribe, etc. as outlined by 504, IEP or EL plans.

Thank you for clarifying this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's awful. At the elementary level there are 4 units of math and 4 units of ELA. The math tests are adaptive this year for non-accommodated test sessions so the kids can't proceed until they answer a question. We've seen plenty of students unable to finish the math sessions this year due to this inability to skip a problem and move on. Even worse, the scores probably won't be available until January since the math test is a different format than the past and they must do standard setting.
Our kids (and staff) will be burnt out by the end of this nonsense. Don't forget the kids are also taking math and literacy MAP tests this spring. I don't mind the MAPs because they do provide valuable and timely information.

What does that mean, non-accommodated test sessions?

Non-accommodated sessions are those taken in the general ed. classrooms. Kids that are pulled out might have accommodations like text to speech (test reads to them), human reader, scribe, etc. as outlined by 504, IEP or EL plans.

My daughter has a 504 for small group testing but no other cognitive reasons to be taking a different test from gen Ed students. I was not notified she would be taking a different test. Does this matter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's awful. At the elementary level there are 4 units of math and 4 units of ELA. The math tests are adaptive this year for non-accommodated test sessions so the kids can't proceed until they answer a question. We've seen plenty of students unable to finish the math sessions this year due to this inability to skip a problem and move on. Even worse, the scores probably won't be available until January since the math test is a different format than the past and they must do standard setting.
Our kids (and staff) will be burnt out by the end of this nonsense. Don't forget the kids are also taking math and literacy MAP tests this spring. I don't mind the MAPs because they do provide valuable and timely information.

+1 One external measure of progress, like MAPs, which are administered 3x a year, seems more than enough.

MCAP, on top of district assessments, is excessive. MCAP is especially pointless because it doesn't count for anything in the students' record, and is ridiculously long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's awful. At the elementary level there are 4 units of math and 4 units of ELA. The math tests are adaptive this year for non-accommodated test sessions so the kids can't proceed until they answer a question. We've seen plenty of students unable to finish the math sessions this year due to this inability to skip a problem and move on. Even worse, the scores probably won't be available until January since the math test is a different format than the past and they must do standard setting.
Our kids (and staff) will be burnt out by the end of this nonsense. Don't forget the kids are also taking math and literacy MAP tests this spring. I don't mind the MAPs because they do provide valuable and timely information.

What does that mean, non-accommodated test sessions?

Non-accommodated sessions are those taken in the general ed. classrooms. Kids that are pulled out might have accommodations like text to speech (test reads to them), human reader, scribe, etc. as outlined by 504, IEP or EL plans.

My daughter has a 504 for small group testing but no other cognitive reasons to be taking a different test from gen Ed students. I was not notified she would be taking a different test. Does this matter?

The only reason she would be taking a different version if she has "text to speech" on math assessments.

[Anonymous]

Add to the madness that elementary students will see geometry questions on the test (they are on the practice tests) and yet MCPS has removed the geometry units from the Eureka Curriculum. (In 4th grade, geometry is unit 4. This unit is not taught. Similar with 3rd and 5th grades.) MCPS says don’t teach it, and yet students will see geometry questions on MCAP.

[Anonymous]

Also in middle school 8th graders now have an additional test for Social Studies. They have MISA and MCAP Social Studies on top of all of the other tests.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Add to the madness that elementary students will see geometry questions on the test (they are on the practice tests) and yet MCPS has removed the geometry units from the Eureka Curriculum. (In 4th grade, geometry is unit 4. This unit is not taught. Similar with 3rd and 5th grades.) MCPS says don’t teach it, and yet students will see geometry questions on MCAP.

Insane.

[Anonymous]

DCUM: Too much testing is awful!
DCUM: Why doesn't Larla have finals? How will she learn to take tests?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Add to the madness that elementary students will see geometry questions on the test (they are on the practice tests) and yet MCPS has removed the geometry units from the Eureka Curriculum. (In 4th grade, geometry is unit 4. This unit is not taught. Similar with 3rd and 5th grades.) MCPS says don’t teach it, and yet students will see geometry questions on MCAP.

WTF, really? I thought they only removed that unit for distance learning. Uurgh.