Helping Your Child Prepare for
MCAS
 M-C-A-S.
These four letters can spell
anxiety for some parents and students.
 This PowerPoint provides some helpful tips
and strategies to better prepare your
children for these upcoming tests.
 Please be assured that your children are
learning all that they can during their
school day at FVMMS.
What is the MCAS?
 The
MCAS stands for the Massachusetts
Comprehensive Assessment System. It is a
series of standardized tests designed to
measure what students have learned in a
given year and subject area.
 The tests consist of multiple choice, open
response, and short answer questions
(Math), plus a writing prompt for the ELA
composition.
Tips to Help Your Child Prepare
for MCAS:


1. Encourage your
child to read, read,
read. No activity is
linked to academic
success as much as
reading.
2. Make sure your child
gets enough sleep,
eats properly, and gets
to school on time.
During test time, make
this a special effort.
 3.
Review the
Massachusetts
Department of
Education guide
at:

http://www.doe.mass.e
du/mcas/parents/.
The Day of the Test:
Make sure that your child is well rested
and eats breakfast.
 See that your child arrives to school on
time and is relaxed.
 Make sure that your child is in
comfortable clothing.
 Encourage your child to do the best work
possible and have a positive attitude.

The Day of the Test: (continued):
Encourage your child to listen/read
carefully to all test-taking directions and
to ask questions if any directions are
unclear.
 Remind your child not to get stuck on any
one item.
 Encourage your child to check their
answers for accuracy.

To Reduce Test Anxiety:
 Talk
about the test in a positive way.
 Encourage best efforts, but have realistic
expectations.
 Encourage your child to focus on his or
her strengths, such as a good memory or
strong analytical skills.
 Assure your child that the test is only one
measure of academic performance.
ELA MCAS Resources:
These links will take you to MCAS
Open Response practice. Read the
selections with your child and
review the responses that scored a
4.
Pay attention to how the open
responses use details and quotes
from the selection to help answer
the question


Grade 6:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/st
udent/2013/question.aspx?GradeID
=6&SubjectCode=ela&QuestionID=
26786

http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas
/student/2009/question.aspx?Gra
deID=6&SubjectCode=ela&Ques
tionTypeName=Open
Response&QuestionID=6442

http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas
/student/2012/question.aspx?Gra
deID=6&SubjectCode=ela&Ques
tionID=21465
ELA MCAS Resources:




Grade 7:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/m
cas/student/2013/question.a
spx?GradeID=7&SubjectCod
e=ela&QuestionID=26812
http://www.doe.mass.edu/m
cas/student/2012/question.a
spx?GradeID=7&SubjectCod
e=ela&QuestionID=21483
http://www.doe.mass.edu/m
cas/student/2011/question.a
spx?GradeID=7&SubjectCod
e=ela&QuestionID=15394




Grade 8:
http://www.doe.mass.edu/m
cas/student/2013/question.a
spx?GradeID=8&SubjectCod
e=ela&QuestionID=26826
http://www.doe.mass.edu/m
cas/student/2012/question.a
spx?GradeID=8&SubjectCod
e=ela&QuestionID=21513
http://www.doe.mass.edu/m
cas/student/2010/question.a
spx?GradeID=8&SubjectCod
e=ela&QuestionID=10784