What’s the problem with MCAP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Misalignment of MCPS-taught standards to MCAP-tested standards is my understanding. I believe MCPS was trying to adjust, but knew that there would be numbers that appeared lower than expected until they could do so.

Some other MD school districts may have been more nimble in changing to address the MSDE-mandated standards. Pandemic after-effects, though possibly lessening, may also persist.

Isn’t MCAP testing Common Core standards, which is what MCPS is supposed to be teaching? -NP

Yes, it is but MCAP unlike PARCC does a poor job at measuring that because it's an unproven test they made up.

They normed MCAP against PARCC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Misalignment of MCPS-taught standards to MCAP-tested standards is my understanding. I believe MCPS was trying to adjust, but knew that there would be numbers that appeared lower than expected until they could do so.

Some other MD school districts may have been more nimble in changing to address the MSDE-mandated standards. Pandemic after-effects, though possibly lessening, may also persist.

Isn’t MCAP testing Common Core standards, which is what MCPS is supposed to be teaching? -NP

Yes, it is but MCAP unlike PARCC does a poor job at measuring that because it's an unproven test they made up.

MCAP is PARCC with a new name and fewer questions. Same entity is writing the test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It isn’t testing the content being taught. This isn’t hard to understand. If I’m reading a text about the Great Depression, I probably wouldn’t do well on questions about the pre-Civil War era. Poor kids have little background knowledge and when the test asks questions about topics they haven’t been taught, it shouldn’t be a surprise that they don’t do well.

Is thought MCAP is Math, Science, English, not Social Studies

The reading passages can be on any random topic including history, science, etc.

And there is now an 8th grade social studies test, which may be MISA rather than MCAP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It isn’t testing the content being taught. This isn’t hard to understand. If I’m reading a text about the Great Depression, I probably wouldn’t do well on questions about the pre-Civil War era. Poor kids have little background knowledge and when the test asks questions about topics they haven’t been taught, it shouldn’t be a surprise that they don’t do well.

Is thought MCAP is Math, Science, English, not Social Studies

The reading passages can be on any random topic including history, science, etc.

The reading passage and subsequent questions anre about comprehension of the passage correct? It’s not requiring you to have comprehensive knowledge of every event in history. Now you may need to be able to use critical thinking skills and draw some connections like the devastating effects of war exist regardless of location, parties, or year. But again that would be testing critical thinking and comprehension.

[Anonymous]

At one point you could see sample questions online …someone in this forum posted a link. I remember thinking they weee very confusing.

[Anonymous]

All these issues could've been avoided if they had just stuck with a proven national test instead of having to invent their own...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Misalignment of MCPS-taught standards to MCAP-tested standards is my understanding. I believe MCPS was trying to adjust, but knew that there would be numbers that appeared lower than expected until they could do so.

Some other MD school districts may have been more nimble in changing to address the MSDE-mandated standards. Pandemic after-effects, though possibly lessening, may also persist.

Isn’t MCAP testing Common Core standards, which is what MCPS is supposed to be teaching? -NP

Yes, it is but MCAP unlike PARCC does a poor job at measuring that because it's an unproven test they made up.

MCAP is PARCC with a new name and fewer questions. Same entity is writing the test.

If it were PARCC it would be called PARCC. The fact is it's a new test that is different than PARCC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When no school system in the state, not even one, is doing good in the test, it says that the problem is with the test.
The test is flawed.

No it doesn’t. It could very well be that the school systems are not doing a good job of teaching, especially post-pandemic.

The WHOLE state? No...I don't think so.. The test is 100% flawed. It is written by 'eduspeak' people who have little to no experience in current classrooms.

Yes, the whole state. Post-pandemic the state just isn’t doing well.

That’s hardly true. It’s the test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Misalignment of MCPS-taught standards to MCAP-tested standards is my understanding. I believe MCPS was trying to adjust, but knew that there would be numbers that appeared lower than expected until they could do so.

Some other MD school districts may have been more nimble in changing to address the MSDE-mandated standards. Pandemic after-effects, though possibly lessening, may also persist.

Isn’t MCAP testing Common Core standards, which is what MCPS is supposed to be teaching? -NP

Yes, it is but MCAP unlike PARCC does a poor job at measuring that because it's an unproven test they made up.

MCAP is PARCC with a new name and fewer questions. Same entity is writing the test.

If it were PARCC it would be called PARCC. The fact is it's a new test that is different than PARCC.

Nope. It’s a shorter version of PARCC. Same company writes the questions.

You just can’t accept that MCPS is doing a terrible job of educating our kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Misalignment of MCPS-taught standards to MCAP-tested standards is my understanding. I believe MCPS was trying to adjust, but knew that there would be numbers that appeared lower than expected until they could do so.

Some other MD school districts may have been more nimble in changing to address the MSDE-mandated standards. Pandemic after-effects, though possibly lessening, may also persist.

Isn’t MCAP testing Common Core standards, which is what MCPS is supposed to be teaching? -NP

Yes, it is but MCAP unlike PARCC does a poor job at measuring that because it's an unproven test they made up.

MCAP is PARCC with a new name and fewer questions. Same entity is writing the test.

If it were PARCC it would be called PARCC. The fact is it's a new test that is different than PARCC.

Nope. It’s a shorter version of PARCC. Same company writes the questions.

You just can’t accept that MCPS is doing a terrible job of educating our kids.

That is hardly true either! Do you realize most colleges are going away from standardized tests? I would never base anyone’s success on a single random test given blindly like this asinine test is. The company who pushes states to use their tests are in for in it for their benefit. Get real and take your blinders off. The test is a farce and it really upsets me it is used to judge metrics. If the test is so great, why the discrepancy between the classroom, AP test, MAP, and other assessment results our students have? Pearson has done a real number on monopolizing a test that does nothing to benefit the student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Misalignment of MCPS-taught standards to MCAP-tested standards is my understanding. I believe MCPS was trying to adjust, but knew that there would be numbers that appeared lower than expected until they could do so.

Some other MD school districts may have been more nimble in changing to address the MSDE-mandated standards. Pandemic after-effects, though possibly lessening, may also persist.

Isn’t MCAP testing Common Core standards, which is what MCPS is supposed to be teaching? -NP

Yes, it is but MCAP unlike PARCC does a poor job at measuring that because it's an unproven test they made up.

MCAP is PARCC with a new name and fewer questions. Same entity is writing the test.

If it were PARCC it would be called PARCC. The fact is it's a new test that is different than PARCC.

Nope. It’s a shorter version of PARCC. Same company writes the questions.

You just can’t accept that MCPS is doing a terrible job of educating our kids.

That is hardly true either! Do you realize most colleges are going away from standardized tests? I would never base anyone’s success on a single random test given blindly like this asinine test is. The company who pushes states to use their tests are in for in it for their benefit. Get real and take your blinders off. The test is a farce and it really upsets me it is used to judge metrics. If the test is so great, why the discrepancy between the classroom, AP test, MAP, and other assessment results our students have? Pearson has done a real number on monopolizing a test that does nothing to benefit the student.

Listen, given the 50 percent rule, a 79.5+89.5 equaling an A, and the rampant grade inflation in general in MCPS, I think the MCAP is an important data point for parents to understand how their kids are doing. I certainly trust it much more than the grades I'm seeing in ParentVue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Misalignment of MCPS-taught standards to MCAP-tested standards is my understanding. I believe MCPS was trying to adjust, but knew that there would be numbers that appeared lower than expected until they could do so.

Some other MD school districts may have been more nimble in changing to address the MSDE-mandated standards. Pandemic after-effects, though possibly lessening, may also persist.

Isn’t MCAP testing Common Core standards, which is what MCPS is supposed to be teaching? -NP

Yes, it is but MCAP unlike PARCC does a poor job at measuring that because it's an unproven test they made up.

MCAP is PARCC with a new name and fewer questions. Same entity is writing the test.

If it were PARCC it would be called PARCC. The fact is it's a new test that is different than PARCC.

Nope. It’s a shorter version of PARCC. Same company writes the questions.

You just can’t accept that MCPS is doing a terrible job of educating our kids.

That is hardly true either! Do you realize most colleges are going away from standardized tests? I would never base anyone’s success on a single random test given blindly like this asinine test is. The company who pushes states to use their tests are in for in it for their benefit. Get real and take your blinders off. The test is a farce and it really upsets me it is used to judge metrics. If the test is so great, why the discrepancy between the classroom, AP test, MAP, and other assessment results our students have? Pearson has done a real number on monopolizing a test that does nothing to benefit the student.

Listen, given the 50 percent rule, a 79.5+89.5 equaling an A, and the rampant grade inflation in general in MCPS, I think the MCAP is an important data point for parents to understand how their kids are doing. I certainly trust it much more than the grades I'm seeing in ParentVue.

The test existed before the 50% rule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It isn’t testing the content being taught. This isn’t hard to understand. If I’m reading a text about the Great Depression, I probably wouldn’t do well on questions about the pre-Civil War era. Poor kids have little background knowledge and when the test asks questions about topics they haven’t been taught, it shouldn’t be a surprise that they don’t do well.

Is thought MCAP is Math, Science, English, not Social Studies

The reading passages can be on any random topic including history, science, etc.

The reading passage and subsequent questions anre about comprehension of the passage correct? It’s not requiring you to have comprehensive knowledge of every event in history. Now you may need to be able to use critical thinking skills and draw some connections like the devastating effects of war exist regardless of location, parties, or year. But again that would be testing critical thinking and comprehension.

Let me give an example. Years ago when we were still using PARCC, I had my 3rd graders read a passage used on a previous test that was released to the public. It was an informative passage about sea turtles. I had my students read it (a challenge since it was on a third grade reading level and most were reading below that). Then they answered the comprehension questions. Later, we talked about the vocab they didn't understand (words like coral reef, current, etc). One of my students said she didn't understand the title (Sea Turtles) after we read the text. She didn't understand why the author would tell the reader to "see turtles." I explained the word "see" didn't mean the same thing as the word "sea." None of my students knew that they meant different things. The entire point of the text was over their heads beginning with the title. Needless to say, they got most of the comprehension questions incorrect.


Reading comprehension is deely dependent on background knowledge of the topic and vocabulary. My students had not learned anything about marine animals and habitats so they didn't understand the vocab or even the meaning of the title. So while we teach to the standards, it doesn't mean squat when students encounter unfamiliar topics with unfamiliar vocabulary.

[Anonymous]

At the elementary level, MCAP ELA and Math tests look identical to the PARCC assessments we used to give kids. Those had 4 days of ELA and 4 days of math and so does MCAP.
The test takes way too much instructional time when we can get real-time, useful data from just giving MAP three times a year. As a classroom teacher, I never used my students' PARCC scores because we received them so late.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It isn’t testing the content being taught. This isn’t hard to understand. If I’m reading a text about the Great Depression, I probably wouldn’t do well on questions about the pre-Civil War era. Poor kids have little background knowledge and when the test asks questions about topics they haven’t been taught, it shouldn’t be a surprise that they don’t do well.

Is thought MCAP is Math, Science, English, not Social Studies

The reading passages can be on any random topic including history, science, etc.

The reading passage and subsequent questions anre about comprehension of the passage correct? It’s not requiring you to have comprehensive knowledge of every event in history. Now you may need to be able to use critical thinking skills and draw some connections like the devastating effects of war exist regardless of location, parties, or year. But again that would be testing critical thinking and comprehension.

Let me give an example. Years ago when we were still using PARCC, I had my 3rd graders read a passage used on a previous test that was released to the public. It was an informative passage about sea turtles. I had my students read it (a challenge since it was on a third grade reading level and most were reading below that). Then they answered the comprehension questions. Later, we talked about the vocab they didn't understand (words like coral reef, current, etc). One of my students said she didn't understand the title (Sea Turtles) after we read the text. She didn't understand why the author would tell the reader to "see turtles." I explained the word "see" didn't mean the same thing as the word "sea." None of my students knew that they meant different things. The entire point of the text was over their heads beginning with the title. Needless to say, they got most of the comprehension questions incorrect.


Reading comprehension is deely dependent on background knowledge of the topic and vocabulary. My students had not learned anything about marine animals and habitats so they didn't understand the vocab or even the meaning of the title. So while we teach to the standards, it doesn't mean squat when students encounter unfamiliar topics with unfamiliar vocabulary.

That's exactly why building background knowledge is key to the science of reading. That doesn't mean that you throw out the reading comprehension questions. It means you choose a better curriculum that follows the science of reading, which MCPS had an opportunity to do last year but chose not to (and we are still stuck with Benchmark).