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E0 mflSS. U.l'.IZ 2.8/3 UMASS/AMHERST minimi n I llll II llll II 312066 0307 9568 5 f jtPARTM^ ^0. \ MCAS § d^B^ 1 \ * z «-\, MASSACHUSEnS COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT SYSTEM Release of 2003 Spring VAV / Spanish-Language Test Items October 2003 Massachusetts Department of Education ^"^>* Massachusetts Department of Education — MASSACHUSETTS C( VI Th*5 document was prepared by the Massachusetts Department ofEducation. AASsSsEESsSsMME£NNTT SYSTEM Dr. David P. Driscoll, Commissioner of Education Board of Education Members James A. Peyser, Chairman, Dorchester Henry M. Thomas, III, Vice-Chairman, Springfield Charles D. Baker, Swampscott Richard Crowley, Andover J. Jeff De Flavio, Chair, Student Advisory Council, Belmont Judith I. Gill, Chancellor, Higher Education, Boston William K. Irwin, Wilmington Jr., Roberta R. Schaefer, Worcester Abigail M. Thernstrom, Lexington David P. Driscoll, Commissioner and Secretarv to the Board The Massachusetts Department of Education, an Affirmative Action employer, is committed to ensuring that all of its programs and facilities are accessible to all members of the public. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. Copyright © 2003 Massachusetts Department of Education Permission is hereby granted to copy any or all parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes. Please credit the "Massachusetts Department of Education." I his document is printed on recycled paper. 350 Main Street, Maiden, Massachusetts 02148-5023 781-338-3000 www.doe.mass.edu Commissioner's Foreword Dear Colleagues: The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) is the Commonwealth's statewide testing program for public school students, developed in response to the Education Reform Law of 1993. MCAS is based exclusively on the rigorous academic learning standards contained in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. These MCAS Frameworks and the program have been developed with the direct and active involvement of educators from across Massachusetts and with the support of the Board MCAS of Education. Together, the Frameworks and are designed to raise the academic achievement of all students in the Commonwealth. The purpose of this document is to share with educators and the public all of the test items from the 2003 Spanish-language tests on which student results are based. The release of these items provides considerable information regarding the kinds of knowledge MCAS and skills that students are expected to demonstrate on the tests to earn high school competency determination. Local educators are encouraged to use this document together with their school's Test Item Analysis Reports to identify strengths and weaknesses in curriculum and instruction, and to guide the changes necessary to more effectively serve students. Thank you for your support as we work together to strengthen education for our students in Massachusetts. Sincerely, David P. Driscoll Commissioner of Education Table of Contents Commissioner's Foreword I. Document Purpose and Structure 1 II. Mathematics, Grade 4 5 HI. Mathematics, Grade 6 33 IV. Mathematics, Grade 8 59 V. Mathematics, Grade 10 and Retest 85 VI. Science and Technology/Engineering, Grade 5 113 VII. Science and Technology/Engineering, Grade 8 139 Document Purpose and Structure I. Document Purpose and Structure Purpose Since approximately 60% of the Limited English Proficient (LEP) students in Massachusetts are native Spanish speakers, Spanish-language versions of the 2003 MCAS tests in Mathematics and Science and Technology/Engineering were made available to eligible Spanish-speaking students. The purpose of this document is to share with educators and the public all of the MCAS Spanish-language test items on which the spring 2003 student results are based. Release of these items is intended to provide additional information regarding the kinds MCAS of knowledge and skills that students are expected to demonstrate on tests. Local educators will be able to use this information to identify strengths and weaknesses in their curriculum and instruction, and to guide the changes necessary to more effectively meet their students' needs. This document is also intended to be used by school and district personnel as a companion document to the school- and district-level Test Item Analysis Reports. Each school receives a fall 2003 Test Item Analysis Report for each content area at each grade level tested (e.g., grade 10 Mathematics). These reports provide data generated from student responses. Each report lists, for the school receiving the report, the names of all enrolled students in the grade covered by the report and shows how each student answered each common item in the content area. The report labels each item as multiple-choice, MCAS open-response, or short-answer and identifies the item's reporting category. Item numbers in this document correlate directly to the "Item Numbers" in the Test Item Analysis Reports. Structure Each subsequent chapter of this document contains information and materials for one MCAS test (one grade level and one content area). For example, chapter II contains information for the Grade 4 Mathematics Test; chapter V contains information for the Grade 10 Mathematics Test and Retest. Beginning with chapter II, each chapter contains three main sections. The first section introduces the chapter by listing the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework content strands MCAS assessed by in that chapter's content area. These content strands are identical to the MCAS reporting categories under which test results are reported to schools and districts. The first section also provides the Internet address for the relevant Framework and the page numbers on which the learning standards assessed by the test items in the chapter can be found. In addition, there is a brief overview of the test (number of test sessions, types of items, reference materials allowed, and cross-referencing information). The second section contains the common test items used to generate spring 2003 MCAS student results for that chapter's grade level and content area. The test questions in this document are shown in the same order and basic format in which they were presented in the test booklets. However, in the interest of conserving space, corresponding English test items do not appear in this document. The mathematics reference tools used by MCAS students during Mathematics test sessions (Mathematics Tool Kit for grade 4; Mathematics Reference Sheets for grades 6, 8, and 10 and for the Retest) are inserted immediately following the last question in each Mathematics chapter of this document. Students in grades 4, 6, and 8 were also provided with plastic rulers, and students in grade 6 were provided with plastic protractors. Images of these tools are not presented in this document. The final section of each chapter is a table that cross-references each common item with its MCAS reporting category and with the Framework standard it assesses. Correct answers to multiple-choice and short-answer questions are also listed. Responses to open-response items are scored individually. An overview of procedures MCAS for scoring these responses and compositions is presented in the fact sheet, "Scoring Student Answers to Open-Response Questions and Writing Prompts," which is available on the Department's Internet site at www.doe.mass.edu/mcas. Scoring MCAS procedures are also explained further in the document, Guide to Interpreting the Spring 2003 Reports for Schools and Districts, which is available at www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/interpretive_guides.html Sample student responses and . compositions from previous MCAS administrations may also be viewed on the Department's Internet site. Materials presented in this document are not formatted exactly as they appeared in Student Test Booklets. For example, in order to present items most efficiently in this document, the following modifications have been made: I English/Spanish Student Test Booklets are issued in side-by-side English/Spanish format, with identical test questions presented on opposing pages in two languages: left-facing pages present questions in Spanish; right-facing pages present the same question in English. The questions in English have been omitted in this document. I Some fonts and/or font sizes may have been changed and/or reduced. I Some graphics may have been reduced in size from their appearance in Student Test Booklets; however, they maintain the same proportions in each case. I All references to page numbers in answer booklets have been deleted from the directions that accompany test items.