MCAS--“MAKE CHILDREN ANXIOUS AND SAD”

MCAS--Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System or in some circles it stands for: “Make Children Anxious and Sad.” It is the test at the high school level that determines if a student gets a real diploma. It is also given in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eight grades, in mathematics, reading, English, science and technology, or some combination. And this year we will begin question tryouts in history.

       The bulk of MCAS testing begins in mid-May. Since that is less than two months away, the writer thought it would be a great opportunity to share some real questions with you. And depending on your success, you, too, may experience some of that anxiety. Just to keep it simple, all questions are from the mathematics assessment. (I am still undecided if I will provide the correct answers at the end of the article or make you wait three months like the students have to wait.)

 

Let the tests begin!

 

       Mr. Angelini paid $384 for a 4-night stay at the Peterborough Hotel. If the cost for each night was the same, how much did he pay for each night at the hotel?

       A. $90.60                         B. $91.00

       C. $92.50                         D. $96.00

(The only Peterborough Hotel I found was in Great Britain and the rates started at 48 pounds.)

 

       Allison lives 1 mile from the park. She walked at a rate of 2 miles per hour directly from her house to the park. If Allison left her house at 1:00 p.m., at what time did she arrive at the park?

       A. 1:02                 B. 1:30

       C. 1:50                 D. 3:00

(Allison is certainly not a child; no kid walks directly, anywhere!)

 

       A sugar cookie recipe calls for 3 ˝ cups of sugar to make 6 dozen cookies. Based on the recipe, how many cups of sugar must be used to make 20 dozen sugar cookies?

       A. 9 ˝ cups          B. 11 2/3 cups  

       C. 61 cups            D. 70 cups

(This could be tempting for those weight conscious middle school student.)

 

       A certain car averages 28 miles per gallon. Gasoline costs $1.11 per gallon. Which of the following is closest to the number of miles the car would be expected to go on $250 worth of gasoline?

       A. 400 miles         B. 6,000 miles

       C. 12,000 miles    D. 30,000 miles

(Were these tenth graders alive the last time gasoline was $1.11?)

       These are just short answer samples from the fourth, sixth, eighth and tenth grade tests. Many of the other questions have graphs, charts, diagrams and not all are multiple choice. And, in fairness, these were not the most difficult questions on the test.

 

So, now, what are you ready to do?                 A. Be a tutor in an MCAS prep                                   class

       B. Sign up for an adult education                         class to brush up on your                                 skills

       C. Provide some encourage                                  ment to a student

       D. Go to Peterborough, eat                                 cookies and drive instead of                            walk to the park

 

       MCAS -- love it or hate it, but it's here to stay, so learn more about it.

 

       Post script: Answers to the sample questions will be printed two issues from now. n