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Biology MCAS Review 2013

Biology MCAS Review 2013. Agenda. 1. Purpose of MCAS 2. Composition of the Biology MCAS Numbers and types of questions MCAS Development 3. MCAS Scoring 4. MCAS Preparation 5. General test-taking advice. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation

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Biology MCAS Review 2013

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  1. Biology MCAS Review 2013

  2. Agenda • 1. Purpose of MCAS • 2. Composition of the Biology MCAS • Numbers and types of questions • MCAS Development • 3. MCAS Scoring • 4. MCAS Preparation • 5. General test-taking advice

  3. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice Purpose of MCAS • Purposes of the MCAS: • 1. Provide feedback to students, families, teachers, and schools on learning standards going unmet. • 2. Improve instruction. • 3. Report on the performance of individual students, schools, districts. • 4. Evaluate progress on achieving equity. • 5. Ensure that all students receiving a high school diploma in Massachusetts have a base level of knowledge.

  4. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice Purpose of MCAS • Passing the Biology MCAS is a requirement that must be met in order to graduate with a high school diploma. • Those who do not pass must address this through additional work: more on that later.

  5. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice Composition of MCAS • The MCAS is broken down into two sessions, June 4th and June 5th. • Each session contains the same number of questions. • Sessions start at the beginning of the school day. There is no mid-session break. • Your room assignment will be posted in the lobby. • Take the test at a reasonable pace. • Rush and you’ll make mistakes; dilly-dally and you won’t be as sharp by the time you finally get to the end. • After about 11 AM, mental processing drops off sharply. So a student who daydreams and wastes time will wind up having to take some questions after that point and will get a lower score.

  6. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice Composition of MCAS • The scored MCAS contains 40 multiple choice questions (20 each day), and 5 open response questions consisting of 2-3 parts each (2-3 open response questions each day).

  7. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice Composition of MCAS • Rough multiple choice breakdown: • 13% Biochemistry & Enzymes (mostly 1.2-1.3) • 15% Cell Biology • 17% Genetics • 13% Anatomy • 20% Evolution • 20% Ecology (mostly 6.2-6.4) • One essay from each of the topic areas except biochemistry. • The evolution essay is usually a natural selection question. The anatomy essay is usually, but not always, about the digestive system & homeostasis. The ecology essay is usually about a food web.

  8. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice Composition of MCAS • Questions on the MCAS are constructed to determine if students understand the underlying concepts by asking them to apply their knowledge to new situations. • Questions will pose scenarios that students need not have learned the specifics of, intentionally. • “Blue jays and Kingbirds are both classified in the order Passeriformes. In the current taxonomic system, this means that both birds belong to the same…”

  9. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice Composition of MCAS • Each multiple choice question has one correct response and three “distractors.” • The distractors are deliberately chosen to contain common misconceptions. • They are answers that someone who has not taken biology might gravitate towards, or that someone who has taken biology but isn’t paying attention might gravitate towards. • There are still keywords you can look for, like “common ancestor” or “reproductive success” • Again, what the test writers are thinking is, “Did this student learn what they were supposed to from their Biology class?”

  10. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice Composition of MCAS • The MCAS will also contain “fake test items,” questions that will not count towards your score. • These are questions that the DESE is considering for a future Biology exam. • They determine if questions are too easy or too hard by giving them to real students. • All the real questions on your test were constructed this way. • These items will be indistinguishable from the actual test items. They will be mixed in and unmarked. • So you will actually have more on the order of 55-60 multiple choice questions and 6-7 essays total. • Take every question seriously!

  11. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice MCAS Scoring • Multiple choice: A correct answer gets 1 point, an incorrect answer gets 0 points. • No “guessing penalty.” Answer every question, even if it’s a wild guess! • Open response: Evaluated holistically. • Score of 0-4. • 4 = The student demonstrates a thorough understanding of the concept. • 3 = The student demonstrates a general understanding of the concept. • 2 = The student demonstrates a limited understanding of the concept. • 1 = The student demonstrates a minimal understanding of the concept. • 0 = The question is unanswered, or the response lies far outside the realm of the question.

  12. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice MCAS Scoring • Not answering an open response question can result in failure of the test. • Each day is a one hour exam; we give you twice that much time. There is no reason why any question - multiple choice or open response - should go unanswered.

  13. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice MCAS Scoring • Open Response questions call for 1-2 complete paragraphs in response to each part of the question. • Be sure to include: • Topic sentence • Answer • Explanation + Evidence • Connect Explanation + Evidence to Answer • It’s the Explanation and Evidence that most students neglect. Students must remember, their job is to prove not just that they know, but that they understand. • Holistic score is improved by the inclusion of clear evidence, by explaining concepts as they arise, and by using appropriate science vocabulary.

  14. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice MCAS Scoring • Students receive a scaled score of 200-280, though there are 60 points possible on the test. 220-280 is considered passing for the student, but not necessarily for the teacher or school. • Failing = 200-219 (Roughly 0-20 pts) • Needs Improvement = 220-239 (21-30) • Proficient = 240-259 (31-47) • Advanced = 260-280 (48-60)

  15. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice MCAS Scoring • 2008 Biology Results

  16. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice MCAS Scoring • 2009 Biology Results

  17. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice MCAS Scoring • 2010 Biology Results

  18. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice MCAS Scoring • 2011 Biology Results

  19. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice MCAS Scoring • 2012 Biology Results

  20. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice MCAS Scoring • Student results usually come out in September. • Schoolwide results just report on advanced, proficient, etc. • Individual results are more detailed. • Your MCAS score does not affect your grade in Biology, or your level of Chemistry. However, students who don’t pass are usually signed up to retake a Biology remediation course, either by retaking 9th grade Biology or taking an additional course simultaneous with Chemistry.

  21. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice MCAS Preparation • Set aside at least 30 minutes a night for studying. Some ideas: • 1. Go through the standards with a parent, sibling, or friend. Questions are constructed to address each one. • If you cannot perform the task the standard calls for, then that’s an indication of an area you should focus your reviewing time on.

  22. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice MCAS Preparation • 2. Practice questions. • Practice questions from previous years’ exams are on the DESE’s website, and most are on Ms. Stang’s website as well. • Take a practice exam. Any questions you get wrong demonstrate areas for you to review.

  23. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice MCAS Preparation • 3. Sit down with a parent, sibling, or study buddy, and examine the sample essays. • Discuss what it was about each essay that elevated or lowered the score.

  24. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice MCAS Preparation • 4. Write practice open responses to the questions available. • Discuss with parent/sibling/study buddy your probable score afterwards by comparing your work to that of the example students.

  25. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice General Advice • Of course, make sure you get a good night’s sleep the night before the exams. Shoot for 9 hours! • And, eat a good, filling breakfast that morning. • No lie, it will save a question or two for you that you would’ve missed otherwise!

  26. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice General Advice • Leave your phone at home those days, if possible. • You’re instructed to turn phones off and/or hand them in before beginning the test, but it’s still a risk. • If you can’t, leave it at home, leave it in your locker. • If you forget to leave it in your locker, TURN IT OFF, TURN IT OFF, TURN IT OOOOFFFFFFFFFFFF • If you do NOT follow the cell phone rules, and your receives a call or text, you may automatically fail your test And everyone around you may automatically fail theirs. • DON’T BE THAT GUY

  27. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice General Advice • Employ the complete test-taking arsenal. • Skip the toughies for later. • Use the test against itself. • Eliminate answers. • Underline key terms. • Brain-dump. • Double-check at the end: all answered, all on the right lines. • Etc.

  28. General Advice • Bring: • 2 pencils • Water (no food) • Layered clothing • A BOOK • Trust me, we give you so much extra time, you will be VERY BORED otherwise.

  29. Purpose of MCAS Composition of MCAS MCAS Scoring MCAS Preparation General advice General Advice • You have nothing to be scared of. Just be determined. • You have learned everything they need. You can handle this hurdle, provided you’re focused in both your preparation and your test-taking strategies. • YOU ARE CAPABLE OF THIS :)

  30. Review Sessions • I’m available for review sessions until 2:30 5/24, 5/28, 5/30, 5/31 and 6/3. • I can be available later than that by request • Helpful websites: • http://stangbio.wikispaces.com/Bio+CP1+Units • MCAS Info http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/ • MCAS Practice Questions http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/testitems.html • MCAS Essays http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/student/

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