Testing Time
Parents of 3-8th graders: It’s testing time at upper campus again. Our spring testing schedule will begin on March 11th.
This year we were prepared to do all of our MCA exams online, however, on March 5 we received word from our district office that MPS received permission to give the paper and pencil MCA Reading test for one last year. The MCA Math (3rd 8th) testing will take place April 9th -May 3rd. The 5th grade MCA Science testing will be April 10th-12th. The 8th grade MCA Science will take place May 7 -9th. The MCA Reading (3rd 8th) testing will take place April 16th and 17th.
The MCA is the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment that is given each spring. This is the test that helps the district measure student progress toward Minnesota’s academic standards. The state tests are given to students in a district once a year, based on their grade level and subject area. The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) is given in math, reading and science (5th and 8th).
The MAP is the Measure of Academic Progress test that our school gave the students in the fall to all students and in the winter and spring to selected students. It is a computerized adaptive test in reading and math that reflects the instructional level of each individual student. It measures growth over time in addition to performance and it is used by our teachers to inform instruction. In an effort to reduce the amount of time students spend testing, like this winter we will be doing spring online MAP testing only for selected students and this will take place between May 10th and May 22nd.
Many parents/guardians have asked how they can help their child prepare for these tests. The best advice I can give is to make sure your child gets a good nights sleep before each test, have your child eat a healthy breakfast on the day of each test, remind your child to dress comfortably on the day of the test and most importantly get your child to school on time the day of the test.
Check in with your child’s classroom/homeroom teacher to find out the exact date of each of the above tests that your child will be taking. Make sure you let your Childs classroom/homeroom teacher know if your child will be gone during their scheduled testing time so that the test can be rescheduled for your child.
Remember that MCA testing is used in schools to measure student achievement. Thank you all for your continued support of Lake Harriet and your child’s academic success.
Sincerely,
Merry Tilleson, A.P.