MCAP results are pretty bad

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 8th graders results say "8th grade" in the corner of the test. Is the theory here that he was supposed to take the 7th grade test?

In the right corner it gives the current grade level and in the left corner it should say which test was given.

Which one did your 8th grader take? Algebra?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 8th graders results say "8th grade" in the corner of the test. Is the theory here that he was supposed to take the 7th grade test?

In the right corner it gives the current grade level and in the left corner it should say which test was given.

Which one did your 8th grader take? Algebra?

I think they could have taken the English (given every year) or any of the math ones - depending what math pathway they are on. I haven't seen any algebra results yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If these tests are simply a benchmark for the state, do they even affect our kids? If so how?

Simple answer: NO

It matters for some kids - at least moving forward. For example, they have to pass the algebra assessment to graduate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are there only three levels this time? In the past there have been five levels:
Level 5: Exceeded expectations
Level 4: Met expectations
Level 3: Approached expectations
Level 2: Partially met expectations
Level 1: Did not yet meet expectations
https://support.mdassessments.com/resources/reporting/MCAP2019ScoreInterpretationGuide.pdf

It looks like they collapsed levels 1, 2, and 3 into one. Why?

I don’t know but would guess lots and lots of 1 and 2 over 3 so did it so it doesn’t look so bad.

Everyone I spoke with kid got 5's in the past and 3's now. Wonder what the problem is...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If these tests are simply a benchmark for the state, do they even affect our kids? If so how?

Simple answer: NO

It matters for some kids - at least moving forward. For example, they have to pass the algebra assessment to graduate.

This year they just had to take the algebra assessment (or the other required ones), not pass it. But it will probably matter again next year. Here's the language about this year:

High school students who were enrolled in an ELA/L 10, Algebra I or High School Science course last year and take the shorter Early Fall assessment will not be required to pass the assessment to meet Maryland’s graduation requirements. Additionally, during the 2021-2022 school year, students enrolled in an ELA/L 10, Algebra I, Biology or Life Science, or Government course will be required to take, yet not required to pass, the current assessments for graduation. Students must pass the respective course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:4th-grade teacher here. Observing the kids taking the MCAP earlier this year was a frustrating experience. They were taking the grade-level test that was inclusive of all material that we are teaching this year. For a kid to have met expectations or exceeded, they would have needed to learn the grade-level curriculum outside of school. If a child is reliant on school instruction (the great majority), there would be no way to be proficient in the material prior to being taught it. I don't understand why this wasn't explained to parents. MAP-M is a much better indicator of where your child is at now.

Reading is a lot easier to fake prior to instruction as kids can have comprehension of above-grade-level texts without needing direct instruction.

Thank you so much for your insights. I have a 4th-grader, though, and the report says that what was administered was the 3rd grade test. Was that the same at all schools? I was especially concerned because DC is in math 4/5 and doing fine, so I would not have expected the very low score that emerged (!).

I can't tell you what it was called as I don't remember, but looking around, every single question asked of the children was on grade level 4th grade. For example, knowing how to multiply large numbers, find equivalent fractions, divide numbers, etc... It was not covering 3rd-grade material as taught in Eureka. It will be interesting to see what the end of the year test entails.

The documentation we received said that for each of the levels the fourth grade work included fractions which I thought wasn’t taught in 3rd grade? My kid learned equivalent fractions back in first grade at a DC charter school but MCPS has been multiple grade levels behind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:4th-grade teacher here. Observing the kids taking the MCAP earlier this year was a frustrating experience. They were taking the grade-level test that was inclusive of all material that we are teaching this year. For a kid to have met expectations or exceeded, they would have needed to learn the grade-level curriculum outside of school. If a child is reliant on school instruction (the great majority), there would be no way to be proficient in the material prior to being taught it. I don't understand why this wasn't explained to parents. MAP-M is a much better indicator of where your child is at now.

Reading is a lot easier to fake prior to instruction as kids can have comprehension of above-grade-level texts without needing direct instruction.

Thank you so much for your insights. I have a 4th-grader, though, and the report says that what was administered was the 3rd grade test. Was that the same at all schools? I was especially concerned because DC is in math 4/5 and doing fine, so I would not have expected the very low score that emerged (!).

I can't tell you what it was called as I don't remember, but looking around, every single question asked of the children was on grade level 4th grade. For example, knowing how to multiply large numbers, find equivalent fractions, divide numbers, etc... It was not covering 3rd-grade material as taught in Eureka. It will be interesting to see what the end of the year test entails.

The documentation we received said that for each of the levels the fourth grade work included fractions which I thought wasn’t taught in 3rd grade? My kid learned equivalent fractions back in first grade at a DC charter school but MCPS has been multiple grade levels behind.

Not true. I distinctly remember my kid learning equivalent fractions last school year in 3rd grade

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:4th-grade teacher here. Observing the kids taking the MCAP earlier this year was a frustrating experience. They were taking the grade-level test that was inclusive of all material that we are teaching this year. For a kid to have met expectations or exceeded, they would have needed to learn the grade-level curriculum outside of school. If a child is reliant on school instruction (the great majority), there would be no way to be proficient in the material prior to being taught it. I don't understand why this wasn't explained to parents. MAP-M is a much better indicator of where your child is at now.

Reading is a lot easier to fake prior to instruction as kids can have comprehension of above-grade-level texts without needing direct instruction.

Thank you so much for your insights. I have a 4th-grader, though, and the report says that what was administered was the 3rd grade test. Was that the same at all schools? I was especially concerned because DC is in math 4/5 and doing fine, so I would not have expected the very low score that emerged (!).

I can't tell you what it was called as I don't remember, but looking around, every single question asked of the children was on grade level 4th grade. For example, knowing how to multiply large numbers, find equivalent fractions, divide numbers, etc... It was not covering 3rd-grade material as taught in Eureka. It will be interesting to see what the end of the year test entails.

The documentation we received said that for each of the levels the fourth grade work included fractions which I thought wasn’t taught in 3rd grade? My kid learned equivalent fractions back in first grade at a DC charter school but MCPS has been multiple grade levels behind.

Not true. I distinctly remember my kid learning equivalent fractions last school year in 3rd grade

It's grade 3, module 5. My kid did it too.

The entire Eurkea K-5curriculum map is available here: file:///Users/sus/Downloads/a-story-of-units-a-curriculum-overview-and-map-for-grades-p-5.pdf

It's aligned with common core, which MCAP is also aligned to.

[Anonymous]

Oops here is the link for the curriculum map: https://www.engageny.org/file/8776/download/a-story-of-units-a-curriculum-overview-and-map-for-grades-p-5.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 8th graders results say "8th grade" in the corner of the test. Is the theory here that he was supposed to take the 7th grade test?

In the right corner it gives the current grade level and in the left corner it should say which test was given.

We just got our 8th grader's.

Wow.. really really bad.

94% "approaching expectations" Algebra -- 5% met; 1% exceeded
68% approaching 7th grade ELA - only 28% met ; 4% exceeded.

DC had gotten straight As during VL last year.

Totally abysmal. Who said there was little learning loss.

DC now 8th grade taking Geometry and getting straight As. But I'm really concerned that DC's Algebra knowledge (which is the foundation for upper level math) is really really weak.

What is MCPS going to do about that? I guess I'll have to put DC in summer school for Algebra.

Total cluster f*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 8th graders results say "8th grade" in the corner of the test. Is the theory here that he was supposed to take the 7th grade test?

In the right corner it gives the current grade level and in the left corner it should say which test was given.

We just got our 8th grader's.

Wow.. really really bad.

94% "approaching expectations" Algebra -- 5% met; 1% exceeded
68% approaching 7th grade ELA - only 28% met ; 4% exceeded.

DC had gotten straight As during VL last year.

Totally abysmal. Who said there was little learning loss.

DC now 8th grade taking Geometry and getting straight As. But I'm really concerned that DC's Algebra knowledge (which is the foundation for upper level math) is really really weak.

What is MCPS going to do about that? I guess I'll have to put DC in summer school for Algebra.

Total cluster f*

We got ours too but they both got the top score. I guess making them attend class during the pandemic helped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 8th graders results say "8th grade" in the corner of the test. Is the theory here that he was supposed to take the 7th grade test?

In the right corner it gives the current grade level and in the left corner it should say which test was given.

We just got our 8th grader's.

Wow.. really really bad.

94% "approaching expectations" Algebra -- 5% met; 1% exceeded
68% approaching 7th grade ELA - only 28% met ; 4% exceeded.

DC had gotten straight As during VL last year.

Totally abysmal. Who said there was little learning loss.

DC now 8th grade taking Geometry and getting straight As. But I'm really concerned that DC's Algebra knowledge (which is the foundation for upper level math) is really really weak.

What is MCPS going to do about that? I guess I'll have to put DC in summer school for Algebra.

Total cluster f*

We got ours too but they both got the top score. I guess making them attend class during the pandemic helped.

Don’t you get it? Scores were low globally. That’s bad for everyone. You want everyone in Maryland to do well, not poorly. They will now have to spend more effort on remediation, which is terrible for your kid.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone got 7th grade results yet? Are they going out by grade level? Or by school? Got my 4th graders a few days ago but no sign of my older kid’s results.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 8th graders results say "8th grade" in the corner of the test. Is the theory here that he was supposed to take the 7th grade test?

In the right corner it gives the current grade level and in the left corner it should say which test was given.

We just got our 8th grader's.

Wow.. really really bad.

94% "approaching expectations" Algebra -- 5% met; 1% exceeded
68% approaching 7th grade ELA - only 28% met ; 4% exceeded.

DC had gotten straight As during VL last year.

Totally abysmal. Who said there was little learning loss.

DC now 8th grade taking Geometry and getting straight As. But I'm really concerned that DC's Algebra knowledge (which is the foundation for upper level math) is really really weak.

What is MCPS going to do about that? I guess I'll have to put DC in summer school for Algebra.

Total cluster f*

We got ours too but they both got the top score. I guess making them attend class during the pandemic helped.

Don’t you get it? Scores were low globally. That’s bad for everyone. You want everyone in Maryland to do well, not poorly. They will now have to spend more effort on remediation, which is terrible for your kid.

This might make mcps think twice before reverting to virtual next time something happens . MCPS robbed our kids of learning and social emotional growth. I know parents here will flame me and counter with but my kidd learned and that must be poor parenting on your part etc.. but it is the truth. Our kids were robbed of 2 years of their childhood

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone got 7th grade results yet? Are they going out by grade level? Or by school? Got my 4th graders a few days ago but no sign of my older kid’s results.

The individual schools are sending them out, even though the envelope looks like it is central office.