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.
| Proficiency Level | General Descriptor |
| Advanced | Students at the Advanced level consistently perform in a manner clearly beyond that required to be successful at the next grade. |
| Proficient | Students at the Proficient level demonstrate solid academic performance and mastery of the content area knowledge and skills required for success at the next grade. Students who perform at this level are well prepared to begin work on even more challenging material that is required at the next grade. |
| Basic | Students at the Basic level demonstrate partial mastery of the content area knowledge and skills required for success at the next grade. Remediation may be necessary for these students. |
| Minimal | Students at the Minimal level are below Basic and do not demonstrate mastery of the content area knowledge and skills required for success atthe next grade. These students require additional instruction and remediation in the basic skills that are necessary for success at the grade tested. |
Take Action
- this article with friends and family.
- Have a question about Mississippi? Ask it here.
- Publish your work on education.com.
