MCAP scores posted in ParentVue-How to Interpret?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here you go

https://support.mdassessments.com/resources/reporting/MCAP-Cut%20Scores.pdf

This is labeled 2022--is it still valid?

It works for my kids scores.. maybe there is a slight change.

didn't work for mine. better to look at the 2025 PDF someone posted up thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:3 is a passing/proficient score, and the score that most proficient kids get. 4s are pretty rare but do happen-- but not all above-average kids get 4s and it's not concerning not to get one even if you have a very smart kid. 1s are way behind. 2 is really the main score you would want more context on-- if they just barely missed a 3 it's probably no big deal, whereas if they're close to a 1 it would be something to look into more.

I believe the cut score between 2 and 3 is always 750 no matter the year or test, although I could be wrong.

So if a kid gets 4's on both, with scores near the top of the 850 range, would you take that as they might be positioned to skip a grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:3 is a passing/proficient score, and the score that most proficient kids get. 4s are pretty rare but do happen-- but not all above-average kids get 4s and it's not concerning not to get one even if you have a very smart kid. 1s are way behind. 2 is really the main score you would want more context on-- if they just barely missed a 3 it's probably no big deal, whereas if they're close to a 1 it would be something to look into more.

I believe the cut score between 2 and 3 is always 750 no matter the year or test, although I could be wrong.

So if a kid gets 4's on both, with scores near the top of the 850 range, would you take that as they might be positioned to skip a grade?

No. It shows mastery of grade-level content but does not, in and of itself, suggest a child is academically ready for the next grade.

My child (current MSer) has high 4s across the board, which is a reflection of mastery and also inherent test-taking skills. It in no way suggests he is ready to be in the next grade up, with everything that suggests in terms of executive function and academic rigor, let along social-emotional maturity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:3 is a passing/proficient score, and the score that most proficient kids get. 4s are pretty rare but do happen-- but not all above-average kids get 4s and it's not concerning not to get one even if you have a very smart kid. 1s are way behind. 2 is really the main score you would want more context on-- if they just barely missed a 3 it's probably no big deal, whereas if they're close to a 1 it would be something to look into more.

I believe the cut score between 2 and 3 is always 750 no matter the year or test, although I could be wrong.

One wonders whether the lack of cohorting to address the needs of those with high ability at many schools, especially those with highly heterogeneous populations, combined with the honors-for-all curricular approach and teacher tendency to attend to the needs of those struggling is reflected in the distribution shifting left among such schools to a greater extent than one might expect from the distribution of individual student ability.

Sadly, with administration of CogAT-like assessments remaining sparse, Shared Accountability's limited bandwidth, non-SA analysis effectively forbidden and the system's clear desire not to deal with the upshot of such analyses in the first place (modifying the purpose of any related project away from anything that would address the question where they might not be able to avoid them, entirely), we'll never know.

[Anonymous]

MCAP is meaningless garbage. Ignore it.

Use Khan Academy to assess your kid's competency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get that these results are used in the headline indicators for Maryland about the share of students who are proficient in reading/math.

Does MCPS actually consider them for CES or MS/HS magnet placement?

No they do not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:3 is a passing/proficient score, and the score that most proficient kids get. 4s are pretty rare but do happen-- but not all above-average kids get 4s and it's not concerning not to get one even if you have a very smart kid. 1s are way behind. 2 is really the main score you would want more context on-- if they just barely missed a 3 it's probably no big deal, whereas if they're close to a 1 it would be something to look into more.

I believe the cut score between 2 and 3 is always 750 no matter the year or test, although I could be wrong.

FWIW it's generally somewhere in the 5%-12% range of kids in MCPS getting 4s, depending on year/grade/subject. So not tiny, but not huge. Not sure how well the 4s tend to match up with high MAP percentiles or other indicators of who the "top" kids are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCAP is meaningless garbage. Ignore it.

Use Khan Academy to assess your kid's competency.

MCPS took 4 instructional days to apply the MCAP this year. If you really think it is worthless you should tell that to your school principal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:3 is a passing/proficient score, and the score that most proficient kids get. 4s are pretty rare but do happen-- but not all above-average kids get 4s and it's not concerning not to get one even if you have a very smart kid. 1s are way behind. 2 is really the main score you would want more context on-- if they just barely missed a 3 it's probably no big deal, whereas if they're close to a 1 it would be something to look into more.

I believe the cut score between 2 and 3 is always 750 no matter the year or test, although I could be wrong.

FWIW it's generally somewhere in the 5%-12% range of kids in MCPS getting 4s, depending on year/grade/subject. So not tiny, but not huge. Not sure how well the 4s tend to match up with high MAP percentiles or other indicators of who the "top" kids are.

What is ridiculous is that MCAP isn’t used at all as part of the selection process for CES or the middle school or high school magnets. MCPS spends a ton of time testing MCAP and also applying COGAT and then places the entirety of selection weight on a single MAP-R or MAP-M data point. Yet these are supposed to be the “best” students in the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCAP is meaningless garbage. Ignore it.

Use Khan Academy to assess your kid's competency.

MCPS took 4 instructional days to apply the MCAP this year. If you really think it is worthless you should tell that to your school principal

They are required to by state law. The right place to advocate is with your state legislators.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:3 is a passing/proficient score, and the score that most proficient kids get. 4s are pretty rare but do happen-- but not all above-average kids get 4s and it's not concerning not to get one even if you have a very smart kid. 1s are way behind. 2 is really the main score you would want more context on-- if they just barely missed a 3 it's probably no big deal, whereas if they're close to a 1 it would be something to look into more.

I believe the cut score between 2 and 3 is always 750 no matter the year or test, although I could be wrong.

FWIW it's generally somewhere in the 5%-12% range of kids in MCPS getting 4s, depending on year/grade/subject. So not tiny, but not huge. Not sure how well the 4s tend to match up with high MAP percentiles or other indicators of who the "top" kids are.

It's been as low as 1% in some years/subjects.

MAP is very different because MAP is adaptive and gives high scores for going above and beyond grade level content, but MCAP is non-adaptive and tests ability to withstand tedium and not make small mistakes.

[Anonymous]

Will we get the report in the mail? ParentVue data doesn’t show county or state scores/averages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Will we get the report in the mail? ParentVue data doesn’t show county or state scores/averages.

Eventually yes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Will we get the report in the mail? ParentVue data doesn’t show county or state scores/averages.

Didn't they post that anywhere? There's that press release they did over the summer about the % of kids proficient in R and M, so clearly they have the distributions of 1-4.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCAP is meaningless garbage. Ignore it.

Use Khan Academy to assess your kid's competency.

I don't know why you're saying this. MCAP correlates decently with my kid's MAP scores. The MCAP and MAP data are way more accurate than the inflated classroom grades on the report card.