Anonymous wrote:I peeked at the MCAP Math proficiency scores for Kennedy, Wheaton, Einstein and Northwood, and they were all at 5%.

Blair was the best of the DCC with a 6% proficiency in Math for the MCAP.

To put this in context, B-CC has a 8.5% proficiency rate, and Blair has a 6.6% rate, but both have a 5% rate for kids who receive FARMS.

Walter Johnson's proficiency rate is 5.7% overall, and the Whitman rate is a whopping 12%.

Basically, the math rates are not useful metrics for any school because it is *only* the Algebra I test. Your average "bright" MCPS kid takes that test in 7th grade. Your average grade level MCPS kids take that test in 8th.

So the only kids taking that test in 9th grade or above are kids who were already below grade level. Some kids seem to be doing better than other, but whether that's due to the school or to parents pushing in supports/tutoring for kids with learning differences, the numbers are just going to be low across the board.

I love how the rating system gives credit for a "well rounded curriculum" in several places.

Anonymous wrote:What is passing guideline? 50% out of 100% or lower?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I peeked at the MCAP Math proficiency scores for Kennedy, Wheaton, Einstein and Northwood, and they were all at 5%.

Blair was the best of the DCC with a 6% proficiency in Math for the MCAP.

What are the chances this information shows up in this week’s ‘5 Things You Should Know’ email that MCPS likes to send out?

I mean, this is certainly something I would like to know as a parent.

It's not really an MCPS test but one the state just made up and has some issues.

What is passing guideline? 50% out of 100% or lower?

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Anonymous wrote:When are the individual MCAP scores available?

We got ours in the mail last Spring for the previous year.

So one year later? Seems weird for it to take so long in 2023. Back in the 90s, my home state sent the results within 6 weeks, and the tests were all done by scantron.

It's a new test that the state basically invented so they're still working out the bugs.

The tests have been scored (which is how those tables linked to in the OP are created). MCPS has the reports. MCPS is simply not sending them yet to families.

Teachers and Admin need to prep for the onslaught of parent "feedback".

Prep for what? The talking points are clear and already being deployed in this thread: The test is the problem. Not the instruction or the school management seems to be the main line of defense.

They've been using that line for the last 5 years so there's really no need to prep, cause they don't have anything new to say.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When are the individual MCAP scores available?

We got ours in the mail last Spring for the previous year.

So one year later? Seems weird for it to take so long in 2023. Back in the 90s, my home state sent the results within 6 weeks, and the tests were all done by scantron.

It's a new test that the state basically invented so they're still working out the bugs.

The tests have been scored (which is how those tables linked to in the OP are created). MCPS has the reports. MCPS is simply not sending them yet to families.

Teachers and Admin need to prep for the onslaught of parent "feedback".

Anonymous wrote:MCAP is problematic. It may be Maryland's state specific test, but it is still modeled on PARCC and created by Pearson.

The test is a 90-minute, multipart slog through complicated multi-step problems. Not easy, and not within most kids' attention spans. These are not the standardized tests we took as kids where there were just dozens of normal math problems to solve. These questions have to be parsed to understand what math they're looking for.

For the paper test:

Math test is 4days, 40minutes per day. 160 minutes total. (I did it in my head in 30minutes, but I've had a lot of practice.)

40 questions total, including 2-parters. Some questions are "circle ALL answers that are true". 8-13 questions per day. (Longer section has easier simple questions.) So, about 4 minutes per question.

5 ask for showing work.
The rest are answer-only, mostly multiple-choice, so you could take shortcuts using the choices as hints.

Passing and High Passing scores allow for some (secret) number of mistakes, of course.

About 2 questions per section are poorly worded but solvable.

Questions are the same type as Eureka/IM workbook. Normal equation and word problems. They do require the modeling and manipulation and understanding the formulas from multiple angles, exactly as the yearlong workbook teaches.

The grading scale is secret, but it should be easy to predict a student's raw score based on homework and test scores. It's summative (full yesr of content), so students who crammed for each module, but didn't learn, would score poorly.



https://support.mdassessments.com/practice-tests/math/

https://support.mdassessments.com/resources/practice-tests/math/MD1126621_Gr10AlgI_PT.pdf

Anonymous wrote:MCAP is problematic. It may be Maryland's state specific test, but it is still modeled on PARCC and created by Pearson.

The test is a 90-minute, multipart slog through complicated multi-step problems. Not easy, and not within most kids' attention spans. These are not the standardized tests we took as kids where there were just dozens of normal math problems to solve. These questions have to be parsed to understand what math they're looking for.

My fifth grader last year did 4 days of testing for MCAP math, with each day 40 mins. She has ADHD but did not seem bothered by the length. She would definitely have had a hard time sitting through 90 mins at once, but thankfully that is not how the test is set up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I peeked at the MCAP Math proficiency scores for Kennedy, Wheaton, Einstein and Northwood, and they were all at 5%.

Blair was the best of the DCC with a 6% proficiency in Math for the MCAP.

But isn’t that because a lot of the more advanced students are taking algebra and geometry in middle school, so the ones taking it in high school are not going to do as well?

The middle school algebra proficiency seems to be from 55 - 70% (70 at TPMS)

The algebra pass rate (level 3/4) at my kid's middle school is ~9.5%. Hoping my kid was one of those. It's so depressing to see the differences between schools.

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Anonymous wrote: Yeah, it’s really going to be interesting when the MCAP starts counting for 20% of the final grade in certain high school classes this year! It’s either a pretty terribly written test or our schools are doing a terrible job teaching kids what they are supposed to know.
http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/about/Pages/DAAIT/Assessment/EOCs/index.aspx

Well, it's a new test that hadn't been used before a year or two ago, and there was no basis for comparison. It seems to have much higher expectations than the PARCC which was a national test, but it also seems like the state is trying to improve it. Unfortunately, it will take several more years for that to have meaningful results.

So you are saying that the MCAP is harder than the PARCC -- what is your evidence for this? It's written by the same company. I imagine it is PARCC with a new name. (Which is, btw, exactly what is happening in DC.)

It is. I’m baffled people don’t understand this. For proof they can download released PARCC tests and MCAP tests. They are the same in style, content, and rigor.

MCAP is problematic. It may be Maryland's state specific test, but it is still modeled on PARCC and created by Pearson.

The test is a 90-minute, multipart slog through complicated multi-step problems. Not easy, and not within most kids' attention spans. These are not the standardized tests we took as kids where there were just dozens of normal math problems to solve. These questions have to be parsed to understand what math they're looking for.

Anonymous wrote:I peeked at the MCAP Math proficiency scores for Kennedy, Wheaton, Einstein and Northwood, and they were all at 5%.

Blair was the best of the DCC with a 6% proficiency in Math for the MCAP.

What are the chances this information shows up in this week’s ‘5 Things You Should Know’ email that MCPS likes to send out?

I mean, this is certainly something I would like to know as a parent.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Yeah, it’s really going to be interesting when the MCAP starts counting for 20% of the final grade in certain high school classes this year! It’s either a pretty terribly written test or our schools are doing a terrible job teaching kids what they are supposed to know.
http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/about/Pages/DAAIT/Assessment/EOCs/index.aspx

What is the point of a separate state and national exam? The tested material is similar, but the national tests are more vetted, so it seems like an extraordinary waste of time and money.

The point is to funnel money to testing companies, who are great at lobbying and donating to politicians.

This.

None of which is benefitting our kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I peeked at the MCAP Math proficiency scores for Kennedy, Wheaton, Einstein and Northwood, and they were all at 5%.

Blair was the best of the DCC with a 6% proficiency in Math for the MCAP.

But isn’t that because a lot of the more advanced students are taking algebra and geometry in middle school, so the ones taking it in high school are not going to do as well?

The middle school algebra proficiency seems to be from 55 - 70% (70 at TPMS)