MCAS Exams

Introduction

As a prelude to the new exam that the state is making us do, the Department of Education has sent out a guide to the new exam. This document will try and hit the high points of that guide.

This document does not purport to be unbiased. It is my take on what a complicated document really says.

Structure

This document will be in three parts.

Philosophy
Practical
Future

Philosophy

Introduction

This new test shows a seismic change in the philosophy of the state.

Why are we doing it?

The state has two implicit goals.

First, this test will not only assess students, but also teachers and systems. It is measuring how well the systems conform to the frameworks.

Second (and consequently) the test is supposed to drive improvements in teaching and curriculum. The state expects us to teach to the test. In order to facilitate that, they will release sections of the test every year.

Reporting

These results will fly around the world. They will go to

Schools,
DOE
Districts, and
Parents

Practical: Part I Reading

Introduction

The exam is challenge, but relatively simple in structure.

Part I: Reading

The first part of the exam is a reading section with a selection from an authentic, but fairly simple text. The sample is from "Follow Your Heart, a work written at a Readers Digest level.

After the students read the text, they need to answer about 15 multiple choice questions and two open ended questions.

Multiple Choice

In the model, the following types of questions appeared:

Define the word in context
Whats the basic idea
Understand and analyze themes
Understand the structure of the piece using the text
Word Choice and Tone

Open Ended

Both open-ended questions aim for the top third of Piagets pyramid.

In the sample, one question asks the reader to make some conclusions about the writer

The other asks to apply another quote to the overall work

Pitfalls

Students must be ready to do the following:

Must know some basic literary terms

Must be patient to read (not skim) a longish passage

Must be ready to go back to the text in order to answer questions

Must be able to use word attack skills

Must be able to infer with limited evidence

Must be able to compare two contrasting ideas

Part II: Composition

Introduction

There will be two composition strands in the exam. The first one is a short 45-minute essay. It is important to note that the tests will actually be untimed.

Composition I

The first writing prompt seems to be one that will ask the students to respond in a non-standard way. In other words, this is the section where the student will be asked to write:

a letter,
a journal entry,
a description, or
A short story.

What to look for

In the model, the essay asks the student to use the writing sample as a model. Since the sample was a letter, they ask the student to write a letter.

The question is going to be one that asks for creativity and thought. Since this is going to be graded as a first draft the content is going to get a lot of weight.

Pre-draft

Both essays seem to stress some sort of pre-writing drill. Therefore, all students should write a little outline, freewrite, or notes section.

Pitfalls

In order to succeed in this section, the student must

Use a pre-write
Answer thoughtfully and creatively
Write at length
Answer the Question and write in the specified genre
Use specifics (use of books and history a plus)
Choose an unusual, but effective topic.

Practical: Writing II

Introduction

I believe that the main part of this exam is this last essay. Many of the Framework threads converge here.

Composition II

This writing prompt will ask a student to read a selection of literature and then write a short essay on it.

In the models I have seen, the questions are not that hard. However, they are phrased with difficulty.

What to look for: Lit

I believe that they are going to choose from two rough genres. First, they will choose from the center of the tradition; dead white men. In two exams from the state, James Joyce has been used twice. Second, they will choose from the popular center of the margins. Tan, Hurston, Gordimer, Baldwin, and Walker are likely.

The literature will probably have some slight narrative trick to it, perhaps a touch of irony, and a few rhetorical games. (I wouldnt bet against the beginning of Pride and Prejudice)

What to look for: Writing

Like the open ended questions, the writing question will be a higher level question. However, the question will probably not be too difficult.

In the models, the questions have asked the student to predict the rest of the story or to explain how the author creates a tone. The questions are buried, so we need to teach the students how to find the question.

Pre-writing

They are so serious about drafting that they have devoted 45 minutes to a rough draft. Therefore, I believe a significant portion of the grade will be spent on that draft. We must stress that to our students.

Evaluation

They list the criteria for evaluation as

Clarity of focus

Organization

Logically related ideas

Supporting detail

Effective language

Grammar/Spelling

I believe they will grade on the following

Structure (focus, logic, and organization)

Specifics (not only from the text but from other works)

Readability or Grace (Word Choice, Sentence development)

Creative Thinking

Mechanics

Pitfalls

In order to succeed at this essay, a student must

Find and answer the question,
Read the passage carefully,
Structure,
Write a rough draft/pre-write,
Proofread/edit their own writing, and
Use specifics.
Use other books (or the rest of the work excerpted)

Future

Introduction

I believe that this exam will exist in five years time. Other states that have used a similar exam still have the test, even though there have been problems with grade reporting, grading and content.

This document is my version of the future.

School Wide

Other departments in the school will need to make changes in order to ensure that everyone passes this exam.

Literary Analysis can no longer be the sole weight of English. Analysis of meaning, tone, theme, and characterization will have to pop up in History, Language, Art, or even Math.
All students will need to write in a process
All teachers will need to grade essays with an eye for the same qualities.

Department Wide

The department may need to be in for a good-sized shake-up.

We will need to make our sophomore and freshman classes skills based. We will need to de-emphasize the novel and emphasize writing and critical reading.
We will need to create a track of junior and senior English classes that stress skills in order to teach those students who fail the MCAS. These classes will need to be in the spring.
We will be able to create a class of junior and senior courses that stress content.
All teachers should teach a content class and a skills class.
We will need to create a system for grading writing that will apply across the department and across the school.

Classroom-wide

The reforms will lead to these changes in my classroom

A heavier emphasis on process writing; collecting rough drafts, more in-class writing,
Mock exams,
Coverage of literary terms,
Close reading drills,
Handwritten final drafts, and
Reading more essays and short stories.

Afterword

Introduction

In writing this document, some ideas flitted across my mind.

Politics

In the past, testing and evaluation came and went with the hemlines. Many are tempted to thinking that this will be the current fate of this testing. I suspect that this testing will last, although it will certainly change.

Why?

State has money for this. In an economic downturn, all this would get flushed. The state has money and will continue to, unless there is another war.

The voters want it. Every nationwide and state-wide candidate has an opinion on education. Most speak glowingly of testing. There is a Republican backlash against national standards, but testing began as a Republican policy (See George Bush in 92).

Business wants it. Business wants better trained workers so that they dont have to pay to train them.

NTA cant oppose it. NTA cant oppose it without seeming as if they are protecting deadwood teachers. So they are embracing it as if it were a porcupine. Note the MTAs silence.

Is it that bad?

No. Most of what this test looks for is pretty solid stuff. I dont believe that the minimums are all that bad. A student graduating high school should be able to write a letter, write a short literary essay, and read two simple passages for meaning.

I wish they would allow typing and I wish they would boil down the exam to two sections.

What to expect

I would expect that the following events will happen.

The first results will provoke anger and close focus on this exam. Unless there is a major screw-up on the exam or its grade, the focus will be on schools and teachers, not the state. Student portfolios will reappear on the horizon.

They will eventually allow typing,

The grading scale will get watered down, and

The overall size of the exam will shrink.