Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System

Testing Mode Decisions for the Spring 2018 Grades 3-8 MCAS Tests

Background

As part of the transition to statewide computer-based testing, students in grades 4, 5, 7, and 8 are expected to take computer-based MCAS tests in spring 2018 in ELA, Mathematics, and STE for grades 5 and 8, with exceptions for students who require a paper-and-pencil accommodation. For the small number of schools unable to meet this expectation, districts submitted a waiver request. For grades 3 and 6, districts were able to choose to do either computer- or paper-based testing (CBT or PBT), and districts were permitted to make this decision by school, grade, and subject area (e.g., PBT for ELA and CBT for Mathematics for school A for grade 6). In spring 2018, the grade 10 ELA and Mathematics tests and the high school Science and Technology/Engineering (STE) tests remain paper-based only. The grade 10 ELA and Mathematics tests will be computer-based in spring 2019, and in preparation, students will participate in computer-based field tests this spring. The STE tests follow a different transition plan, and students will take computer-based question tryouts this spring.

Summary of Testing Mode Decisions (Public Schools)

 Grade 3Grade 4Grade 5Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8
Public schools doing CBT64%99%98%79%97%98%
Public schools doing PBT36%1%2%21%3%2%
Total number of public schools 1,0511,033998696611609

District and School Testing Mode Decisions

In the file showing schools' testing mode, the following abbreviations are used for each grade/subject area test:
  • CBT, when a school is doing computer-based testing
  • PBT, when a school is doing paper-based testing
  • ACC, when a school (typically outplacements) is doing PBT because all the students in that grade need the accommodation for paper-based testing
  • NA, when a school does not have that grade or the grade is doing the MCAS-Alt instead of the standard MCAS computer-based or paper-based tests




Last Updated: December 5, 2017