Spring 2025 MCAS Protocols Quiz for Test Administrators

During the MCAS ELA test, a student asks how to spell a word. The test administrator says that they cannot provide spelling assistance.

• This adheres to MCAS protocols because spelling does not affect the scoring of written responses.

• This adheres to MCAS protocols because test administrators may not assist with the spelling or meaning of words.

• This violates MCAS protocols because spell-check is a special access accommodation (SA5) and could have been provided.

• This violates MCAS protocols because students should have access to a dictionary during ELA testing and should not need to ask how to spell a word.

Grade 8 students take MCAS STE Session 1 in the morning. In science class later that day, after the session is over, the teacher asks if they had trouble with any questions. Students describe their test questions, and the teacher reviews them with the class.

• A. This adheres to MCAS protocols because understanding the Session 1 questions may help the students on Session 2.

• B. This adheres to MCAS protocols because the session was complete and they were reviewing items after the fact.

• C. This violates MCAS protocols because MCAS test questions may not be discussed before, during, or after testing unless those questions have been publicly released by DESE.

• D. This violates MCAS protocols because MCAS test questions may never be discussed in class under any circumstances.

A student has completed and submitted their ELA test. They ask to read a book, which is then given to them by the test administrator.

• This adheres to MCAS protocols because students may read books after submitting their tests, except for textbooks in the subject being tested.

• This adheres to MCAS protocols because students may read books at any time during ELA testing.

• This violates MCAS protocols because students are not permitted to have anything at their desks while the test session is ongoing, even if they have submitted their own tests.

• This violates MCAS protocols because students may not read books at any time, even after they have submitted their tests.

A group of EL students is taking the high school Biology test. The test administrator provides them each with a standard English-language dictionary to use.

• This adheres to MCAS protocols because English-language dictionaries are only forbidden on ELA tests.

• This adheres to MCAS protocols because EL and former EL students are permitted to use an approved word-to-word bilingual dictionary on all MCAS tests.

• This violates MCAS protocols because English-language dictionaries are prohibited on all MCAS tests.

• This violates MCAS protocols because only students with disabilities are entitled to use English-language dictionaries on MCAS Science tests.

A student arrives late to school after MCAS testing has already begun. When the student arrives at the testing room, the test administrator hands out the student login, has the student sign in to the computer, and allows the student to begin working on the test.

• This adheres to MCAS protocols because late students may still be tested that day and do not have to be scheduled for make-up testing.

• This adheres to MCAS protocols because schools are required to test all students in the tested grades under state and federal law.

• This violates MCAS protocols because students may not begin testing after other students in the room have already started testing.

• This violates MCAS protocols because students must be read the scripts in the Test Administrator’s Manual even if they arrive late to testing.

About halfway through the session, the test administrator gives the class a 5-minute break. The students are allowed to move around the room and talk to each other.

• This adheres to MCAS protocols because students may be given a break of 3–5 minutes at the test administrator’s discretion.

• This adheres to MCAS protocols because the test administrator did not allow the students to be out of sight.

• This violates MCAS protocols because security must be maintained during breaks and students should not have conversations or be able to see other students’ computer screens.

• This violates MCAS protocols because students may not have breaks once testing has begun.

A fifth-grade student points to a word on the STE test and asks their test administrator to read it aloud. Does this adhere to MCAS protocols?

• This adheres to MCAS protocols because a test administrator may read a word or short phrase aloud to a student on a Math, STE, or Civics test in accordance with Universal Accessibility Feature 11 (UF11).

• This adheres to MCAS protocols because a test administrator may read a word or short phrase aloud on any MCAS test in accordance with UF11.

• This violates MCAS protocols because a test administrator may not read a word aloud to students on any MCAS tests.

• This violates MCAS protocols because a test administrator may only read a word aloud to students with disabilities or EL students.

At the end of the test session, the test administrator notes that it is now recess time. They collect all the student logins, put them in an envelope, and lock them in the desk drawer. Then, the test administrator takes the students to recess. Afterwards, the test administrator retrieves the student logins from the desk and returns them to the testing coordinator.Does this adhere to MCAS protocols?

• This adheres to MCAS protocols because after testing is complete, students should resume their regular schedule.

• This adheres to MCAS protocols because the student logins were securely locked in the teacher’s desk.

• This violates MCAS protocols because students may not go to recess on MCAS testing days.

• This violates MCAS protocols because student logins must not be left unattended unless they are locked in the secure central storage area.

A test administrator is providing the Human Read-Aloud accommodation (A5) and notes a particular geometry question as they read the Mathematics test to a student. After the school has completed its Mathematics testing, the test administrator emails a description of the question to the head of the math department at the school along with a suggestion of how to teach the relevant standard next year. Does this adhere to MCAS protocols?

• This adheres to MCAS protocols because testing at the school was complete, and no student scores could be affected.

• This adheres to MCAS protocols because the purpose was to inform future instruction of the relevant standard in the curriculum framework.

• This violates MCAS protocols because MCAS content is secure and confidential and may not be duplicated or discussed unless it has been publicly released by DESE. Also, the nondisclosure acknowledgement form that the test administrator signed as a condition of administering accommodation A5 prohibits this disclosure.

• This violates MCAS protocols because accommodation A5 only applies to ELA tests.

The morning of Mathematics testing, the test coordinator sets up the school’s testing materials in a conference room and counts out student logins for each testing room. They record the count on internal tracking forms and place the student logins in envelopes along with pencils, scratch paper, and reference sheets. Test administrators come to the conference room 20 minutes before the scheduled start of testing, pick up the envelopes labeled with their names, and bring the envelopes to their rooms.

• This adheres to MCAS protocols because the count of secure materials was recorded on internal tracking forms.

• This adheres to MCAS protocols because the envelopes are labeled for each testing room and the student logins needed in each room were placed inside by the test coordinator.

• This violates MCAS protocols because the test coordinator should have delivered the envelopes to testing rooms rather than having test administrators come to the conference room to pick them up.

• This violates MCAS protocols because test administrators should have independently counted student logins when receiving their envelopes, and both the test coordinator and test administrator must sign the tracking form to document the chain of custody of secure materials.