MCAS Maven’s Math Hints, First the 24 Critical Standards

MCAS Maven’s math hints. Free MCAS Review from JFYNetWorks 24 Critical Standards

by Joan Reissman MCAS Maven

Free MCAS Review from JFYNetWorks

24 Critical Standards

The 10th grade math MCAS begins May 17, just 3 weeks away. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that it’s not too late to review the necessary material to be well prepared. JFYNetWorks has online curriculum that covers the 24 repeated standards and the 32 one-time standards on the Next-Generation MCAS tests. We can provide that curriculum to schools, and train teachers in how to use it, at no cost. We can also pay stipends to teachers for instructional time above and beyond contract hours. If you are interested, send an inquiry to info@jfynet.org.

In the two years of Next Generation math MCAS (2019 and 2021), 24 curriculum standards were tested both years. If we focus on those 24 standards for the next 3 weeks, we can be prepared for a likely core of content on the coming test. And we can review a nucleus of grade-level standards that students need anyway to be at grade level and prepared for 11th grade. It’s a twofer.

If we finish the 24 standards that were tested both years, we can go on to the remaining 32 that appeared in one of the years. Since all MCAS questions are taken directly from the state standards, a focused year-end MCAS intensive is a good way to review the whole year.

The distribution of domains in the two years is almost identical, so we can trace a consistent pattern of coverage.

distribution in 2019 and 2021

Both the standards tested and the number of questions each year are very similar. There were 42 questions each year. Each question was based on an identified state standard. There was some duplication: only 40 standards were tested in 2019 and 41 in 2021. 24 standards were tested both years, and 32 more were tested only one year. So out of the 84 total questions, 56 standards were tested at least once.

The new test in 2019 was based on the revised Mathematics standards that were adopted in 2017. This transition created a significant change in the distribution of domains. MCAS 2.0 has a much higher proportion of algebra and geometry than the old test.

JFY covers MCAS Math prep 2022

The last two years were not normal years. Although teachers and students did the best they could under difficult circumstances, student retention of previous years’ material suffered. That unfinished learning, or learning loss, creates a need to review past standards, not only to do well on MCAS but to catch up to grade level. For teachers this means reviewing essential material from past years along with the normal focus on current grade-level content. Bridging past years’ skills through acceleration will help students get where they need to be, and give them a better foundation for demonstrating their competence on MCAS and moving on to the next grade.

Joan Reissman, the MCAS Maven, is a JFYNetWorks curriculum specialist. She has been analyzing MCAS since 2000.


Other posts authored by our MCAS MAVEN can be found here.


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