MDE issued the following press release:
Blueprint of New Mississippi Assessment Program Tests Available
JACKSON, Miss. –
Teachers and administrators can now see blueprints of the new statewide
assessments for the 2015-16 school year. The Office of Student
Assessment in the Mississippi Department of Education has released the
test blueprints for the new Mississippi Assessment Program (MAP), the
statewide exams for students in grades 3-8 and end-of-course
assessments.
The
tests will be administered through Questar Assessment Inc., which won
the competitive bid process to administer the assessments
that are
aligned to the Mississippi College and Career-Ready Standards (MCCRS)
for English language arts (ELA) and Mathematics. It
will replace
the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers
(PARCC). Mississippi is no longer a member of the multi-state
consortium.
“MDE’s
primary goal with respect to test design was ensuring that the
assessments measure student mastery of the Mississippi standards that
have
guided our teachers’ instruction over the past few years, and I am
pleased that we have accomplished that goal,” said Dr. Carey Wright,
state superintendent of education.
The
blueprints are used by test developers to create and select test
questions and construct test forms for each administration of the
assessment. A companion guide provides an explanation of the
blueprints and illustrates the alignment to the Mississippi College and
Career-Ready Standards.
Dozens
of Mississippi teachers participated in the development of the
blueprint. Jennifer Wilson, mathematics teacher at Northwest Rankin High
School, said she welcomed the opportunity to collaborate
with fellow teachers from around the state.
“Working
with other teachers across the state to develop the Mississippi test
blueprint made me realize how much work our teachers have done to
improve the teaching and learning of mathematics over
the past few years of implementing our new standards. Each member of
the committee kept the best interests of the students and teachers in
mind - constantly thinking about how to assess the standards so that
students can both show what they have learned and
that they are college- and career-ready,” she said.
The
MAP assessments are computer-based tests administered through Questar’s
Nextera online delivery platform. The writing portion of the English
language arts assessment is the only paper-and-pencil
component of the new assessment system.
The
MAP administration will be a single end-of-year exam. The assessments
will include a variety of item types, including multiple choice,
constructed response, writing, technology enhanced, and
performance tasks.
Deia
Sanders, content specialist in the Simpson County School District, said
it was very important for Mississippi educators to play a role in
building the assessments for Mississippi students.
“We
were able to use the diversity of the teachers and districts in
Mississippi to begin building a test to high standards that represented
the diversity of our students, rather than being handed
one that was built or representative of other places. It's truly our
state test,” she said.
Beginning
in the 2016-2017 school year, the 3rd Grade ELA assessment will be used
for promotion/retention decisions as required by current state law. The
3rd Grade Reading Summative Assessment
that was used in the 2014-2015 school year will be used again in the
2015-2016 school year to make promotion/retention decisions.
Mississippi’s Literacy-Based Promotion Act requires that a student scoring at the
lowest achievement level on the 3rd Grade Reading Summative
Assessment be retained in 3rd grade, unless the student meets the good
cause exemptions specified in the law. Wright said she will recommend to
the Mississippi Legislature in the 2016 session
that the law be amended to make student proficiency the goal.
“If the goal is to ensure that our students are successful in 4th
grade and beyond, we need to set high expectations for them to be
proficient readers. The current law doesn’t say that
students need to be proficient in reading to move to the next grade
level. The students who met the minimum passing score last year will
still need instructional support this school year,” she said.
To find out more information about the statewide assessment design, view the
MAP Blueprint Interpretive Guide and monitor the
Monthly Updates produced by MDE.
# # #
Link to actual assessments.
3 comments:
What the hell is a content specialist for a school district? I feel like this is a trick question.
I want to see a plan that dissuades the majority of public school students from the idea that their best shot at a career is to become a pro athlete or a rapper, and teaches them that staying in school and working hard gives you a good shot at a real career so you don't end up busing tables at Jason's Deli when that record deal or athletic scholarship fails to materialize.
How long are you willing to wait to see that plan?
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