Abstract: This outline provides an overview of Maryland's statewide student assessment programs. School performance in Maryland is reported in school "report cards" that detail student achievement, student participation in terms of attendance and dropouts, the standards for school performance, a school performance index, and any rewards or sanctions for the school under public accountability programs. There are three operating statewide student assessment programs and one in the design phase. These are the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP), the norm-referenced testing program that uses the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills-Fifth Edition (CTBS/5) , the Maryland Functional Testing Program (MFTP), and the high school assessment program. The focus of the MSPAP is on school improvement rather than on individual students. The performance based assessments for grades 3, 5, and 8 assess reading, writing, language usage, mathematics, science, and social studies. The norm-referenced test is a rough gauge indicator of basic skills achievement for grades 2, 4, and 6. The MFTP is a set of minimum competency tests required for high school graduation in reading, writing, mathematics, and citizenship skills. The new high school assessment program, which will be operative for the class of 2004, will have end-of-course examinations in English, mathematics, science, and social studies. It is anticipated that these tests will have a combination of selected and constructed response items. (SLD)

Title: Maryland's Statewide Student Assessment Programs.
Author: Ferrara, Steven
Identifier: M032032
Publication Date: 1996-11-06

Descriptors: Criterion Referenced Tests; Educational Assessment; Elementary Secondary Education; *Graduation Requirements; Norm Referenced Tests; Program Descriptions; Report Cards; *State Programs; Student Evaluation; *Testing Programs

Identifiers: Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills; *Maryland; Maryland Functional Testing Program; Maryland School Performance Assessment Program