MCAP is being redesigned AGAIN

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCAP takes up so many instructional days. 2 days each for Math, English, Social Studies...for a worthless exam whose results come 6-12 months later that MCPS doesn't use for anything.

All the decisions for CES, magnets etc. are made using the MAP test scores. MCAP is worthless.

THIS THIS THIS. My 8th grader this spring is spending - 4 days MISA, 4 days MCAP ELA, 2 days MCAP Math (2 testing sessions per day), 4 days Maryland history test!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, and another 2-4 class periods on MAP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCAP takes up so many instructional days. 2 days each for Math, English, Social Studies...for a worthless exam whose results come 6-12 months later that MCPS doesn't use for anything.

All the decisions for CES, magnets etc. are made using the MAP test scores. MCAP is worthless.

Except now MCAP is supposed to be one of the four items (with CogAT, MAP-M & Curricular Assessments) used for determining Math acceleration, possibly the only one used for course advancement (grade skipping in a subject relying on scoring 4 on MCAP for the grade to be skipped), and the only measure on which the system's success in this field will be judged. How they are going to utilize it effectively for those with its timing and the months-long reporting lag is a mystery.

The MCAP distributions are crazy. In my kids' grade reports, less than 5% are getting a 4 in some subjects. So if getting a 4 is the determinant for getting accelerated math, problem solved--very few will have 4s.

They said showing mastery by getting a 4 might lead to course advancement (grade skipping for a subject), but unless they are going to administer the prior year's test for the following grade at the beginning of the next academic year, it is unclear how they will know that, e.g., a rising 4th grade student scored a 4 on the 4th grade MCAP (which normally wouldn't be taken until the following spring) and should be moved to 5th grade Math instead of taking the 4th grade Math they already know.

That's different from being identified for the new elementary grade-level "Math with Acceleration" (vs. grade-level Math without the "Acceleration" moniker), which some combination of MCAP and the other three (hopefully with some sliding heuristic -- but I'm not holding my breath) would do. What that "with Acceleration" really means also is a bit of a mystery.

The state requires that (starting in 2027-2028) they must convene an Individual Acceleration Plan meeting and determine an IAP for all students scoring a 4 on their math MCAP. For the 3rd and 4th grade MCAP this may or may not result in acceleration; by 5th grade if a child has scored a 4 on MCAP it is mandatory they be accelerated so they can start algebra by 8th grade at the latest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCAP takes up so many instructional days. 2 days each for Math, English, Social Studies...for a worthless exam whose results come 6-12 months later that MCPS doesn't use for anything.

All the decisions for CES, magnets etc. are made using the MAP test scores. MCAP is worthless.

THIS THIS THIS. My 8th grader this spring is spending - 4 days MISA, 4 days MCAP ELA, 2 days MCAP Math (2 testing sessions per day), 4 days Maryland history test!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, and another 2-4 class periods on MAP

+1 Between this useless MCAP testing, snow days, the early release/non-instructional days, the waiving of the 180 school days, my 8th grader has really had very few proper instructional days this year.

[Anonymous]

Maryland does not need to give a test that takes 4 days to administer every single year for ELA from 3rd grade to 8th grade. It just doesn’t. I hate MCAP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maryland does not need to give a test that takes 4 days to administer every single year for ELA from 3rd grade to 8th grade. It just doesn’t. I hate MCAP

I agree.

I feel like MCAP should be administered at these critical grade levels:

- Kindergarten (for setting the baseline of a cohort)
- 3rd Grade
- 8th Grade
- 10th Grade

The quarterly MAP-M and MAP-R tests should be good enough for the rest of those grade levels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maryland does not need to give a test that takes 4 days to administer every single year for ELA from 3rd grade to 8th grade. It just doesn’t. I hate MCAP

I agree.

I feel like MCAP should be administered at these critical grade levels:

- Kindergarten (for setting the baseline of a cohort)
- 3rd Grade
- 8th Grade
- 10th Grade

The quarterly MAP-M and MAP-R tests should be good enough for the rest of those grade levels.

I’ve been saying for a while that ALL states should only be doing state assessments at 3rd, 5th, 8th, 10th.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCAP takes up so many instructional days. 2 days each for Math, English, Social Studies...for a worthless exam whose results come 6-12 months later that MCPS doesn't use for anything.

All the decisions for CES, magnets etc. are made using the MAP test scores. MCAP is worthless.

THIS THIS THIS. My 8th grader this spring is spending - 4 days MISA, 4 days MCAP ELA, 2 days MCAP Math (2 testing sessions per day), 4 days Maryland history test!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, and another 2-4 class periods on MAP

That’s how the school chose to test. It doesn’t have to take that long. 4 days for one test tells me that they only do one session a day.