This document compares the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exams to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) prototype exams. It examines exam questions and tasks for 6th grade and algebra 1 for PARCC and provides some sample questions from MCAS for grades 6, 8, and high school for comparison to the standards and format of the PARCC assessments.
In this presentation I’d like to highlight the changes in curriculum and instruction that the CCSS bring by comparing released MCAS items with PARCC prototype items
First let’s take a look at the Grade 6 standards that are being assessed. These number system standards build an understanding of negative numbers and absolute value on the number line and in real world contexts.
These are released MCAS items. In the first item, students are asked to locate -0.75 on a number line and have four answers to choose from. In the second students are asked about temperatures. Again they choose from four correct answers.
Here is a PARCC prototype item. There is a real world context of a bakery that sells cakes to a grocery chain. Each cake has a target weight and are weighed on a scale. This scale shows a positive number if the cake’s weight is over the target and a negative if the weight is under the target. If the cake is exactly the target weight, then the scale shows zero. In part a, students are to take the weights of three cakes and place them on the number line in an interactive format.
Here is a PARCC prototype item. There is a real world context of a bakery that sells cakes to a grocery chain. Each cake has a target weight and are weighed on a scale. This scale shows a positive number if the cake’s weight is over the target and a negative if the weight is under the target. If the cake is exactly the target weight, then the scale shows zero. In part a, students are to take the weights of three cakes and place them on the number line in an interactive format.
In part b, there is a table with two readings from the scale. Notice the context is repeated. Students are then asked which statement is true. The statements are inequalities comparing the two weights.
In part b, there is a table with two readings from the scale. Notice the context is repeated. Students are then asked which statement is true. The statements are inequalities comparing the two weights.
Part c asks students to relate the largest absolute value to the weights of 5 cakes.
Part c asks students to relate the largest absolute value to the weights of 5 cakes.
Finally in part d students are asked which numbers are more than 3 oz from the target weight. in this part there are two correct answers.
Finally in part d students are asked which numbers are more than 3 oz from the target weight. in this part there are two correct answers.
let’s move on to Algebra 1. Modeling is MP.4 and is greatly emphasized in high school mathematics. The content standards we will look at are building and interpreting an exponential function in a real world context.
in part a the growth of a rabbit population is modeled with a table and students are to write an exponential function. Notice there are tiles for students to choose from.
in part a the growth of a rabbit population is modeled with a table and students are to write an exponential function. Notice there are tiles for students to choose from.
In Part b students choose multiple true statements about a new exponential function model with a different base, checking their understanding of all parts of the equation model. There are two correct responses of the six choices.
In Part b students choose multiple true statements about a new exponential function model with a different base, checking their understanding of all parts of the equation model. There are two correct responses of the six choices.
Here in part c, students construct a viable argument about the starting populations, the two growth rates and the time period.
Here in part c, students construct a viable argument about the starting populations, the two growth rates and the time period.
Now let’s take a look at a released 10th grade MCAS item. In the first item students are given a line with two coordinate points and asked to choose the slope. The second item has a table that tells the students it is linear. Students then choose the equation that models the table. These items assess standards that are now part of Grade 8, not CC Algebra 1.
To further demonstrate the increased rigor of the CCSS here is a grade 7 PARCC task that asks students to order tables and graphs representing different speeds. A released grade 8 MCAS item asks students to compare speeds.
