Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT)

General Information About the Mississippi Grade Level Testing Program

Mississippi Curriculum Test Standard Setting

In September 2001, Mississippi Department of Education and CTB/McGraw-Hill organized and led a standard setting conference in order to establish profi ciency level standards for the Mississippi Curriculum Test in each content area: reading, language, and mathematics in Grades 2-8. The standard setting committee comprised approximately 210 Mississippi teachers and administrators who were divided into nine subcommittees that covered the following grade content groupings:

Reading: Grades 2-3, Grades 4-5, and Grades 6-8

Language: Grades 2-3, Grades 4-5, and Grades 6-8

Mathematics: Grades 2-3, Grades 4-5, and Grades 6-8

Committee members defined the four proficiency levels (Advanced, Proficient, Basic, and Minimal) by selecting three cut scores that set the boundaries for these levels. Scores that fall below the cut score for Basic are scores that are within the Minimal profi ciency level. General descriptors have been written for each proficiency level; these descriptors are relatively broad and are used across grade levels and content areas.