The predictive value of grade 3 screening benchmarks for MCAS ELA proficiency varies widely: 15 to 69 percent of students classified as on track did not reach MCAS proficiency, and students flagged at risk rarely met proficiency¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2023 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? The percentage of students classified as on track who did not reach MCAS ELA proficiency ranged from 15 to 69 percent across screening assessments, and students classified at any level of risk rarely met MCAS proficiency standards. → Mariann Lemke 2023

Evidence¶

Mariann Lemke 2023¶

Mariann Lemke, Dan Murphy, Aaron Soo Ping Chow, Hayley Spencer, and Angela Zhang. (2023). A First Look at Early Literacy Performance in Massachusetts: Results of Initial Analysis Based on State Grantee Literacy Screening Assessments. WestEd. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED638580

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Predictive linking and ROC analyses relating grade 3 EOY screening classifications to MCAS Grade 3 ELA proficiency for 2021/22 concordance samples; "ranged from 15 percent to 69 percent across screening assessments."

"The percentage of students classified as on track who did not reach MCAS ELA proficiency standards ranged from 15 percent to 69 percent across screening assessments. Students who were classified by their grade 3 EOY literacy screening assessment performance to be at any level of risk of reading difficulties rarely met MCAS Grade 3 ELA proficiency standards."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Screening assessment benchmarks indicating significant risk shift up and down on the MCAS scale within and across grades, so students with the same skills may be classified differently at different times — related
• Agreement between screening assessments on which students are at risk varies from 47 to 85 percent depending on assessment combination — related
• Grade 3 screener benchmark scores marking any level of risk map to MCAS ELA scores from mid Partially Meeting Expectations to the beginning of Meeting Expectations — related
• Literacy screener benchmarks predict which grade 3 students will not meet MCAS ELA expectations, but not necessarily who will meet them — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Few students identified as significantly below benchmark in grades 1–3 met MCAS expectations 1 or 2 years later, with higher rates for earlier identification — related
• Equipercentile linking shows grade 3 screening benchmark cut scores identifying at-risk students cluster in the MCAS Partially Meeting Expectations performance level, with variation among assessments — related
• Among students below benchmark at the start of grade 1, meeting screening benchmarks earlier is associated with higher grade 3 MCAS proficiency rates — related
• Early screening benchmark status predicts later performance: most beginning-of-year at-risk students stay at risk, and meeting benchmarks by end of grade 1 is associated with much higher grade 3 MCAS odds — related