Massachusetts PARCC versus MCAS predictive-validity study¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 9 claims (9 for) · 3 studies (3 associational), q2 · 0 of 3 report an effect size · 8 claims rest on one study

Description¶

A study commissioned by the state of Massachusetts and conducted by Mathematica Policy Research comparing how high school PARCC exams and the existing MCAS predict college grades and placement in remedial courses. According to the brief, it is "the first to examine the extent to which PARCC assessments succeed in one of their major goals: identifying students who are ready for college." It informed the state's decision about whether to continue using MCAS or switch to PARCC.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• High school assessment scores linked to later college grades and remedial course placement outcomes

Constraints¶

• Findings are specific to Massachusetts students and the PARCC and MCAS exams as administered around spring 2015

Target Learners¶

• Massachusetts high school students

Target Learning Goals¶

• College readiness identification
• Prediction of college grades and remedial course placement

Claims¶

• PARCC sets a higher performance standard in mathematics than MCAS, while both exams predict college performance comparably [+W]
• In math, meeting the PARCC college-readiness standard predicts higher college performance than meeting the MCAS proficiency standard [+W]
• In math, students meeting the PARCC college-ready standard are less likely to need remediation than students meeting the MCAS proficient standard [+W]
• MCAS and PARCC scores similarly predict which students need remedial coursework in college [+W]
• PARCC and MCAS scores show similar validity in predicting college grades for Massachusetts students [+W]
• The study is the first to examine whether PARCC assessments identify students who are ready for college, and it was commissioned to inform Massachusetts's decision between MCAS and PARCC [+W]
• PARCC and MCAS scores show similar validity for predicting college grades [+W]
• Both MCAS and PARCC assessment scores predict college readiness, with similar validity in predicting college grades [+W]
• The study is the first to examine whether PARCC assessments identify students who are ready for college [+W]

Related Elements¶

• Comparative validity study of MCAS versus a next-generation Common Core college-readiness test in Massachusetts

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Ira Nichols-Barrer, Kate Place, Erin Dillon, Brian Gill. (2015). For Massachusetts Students, PARCC and MCAS Exams Comparable in Predicting College Outcomes (In Focus Brief). Washington, DC: Mathematica Policy Research. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/in-focus-for-massachusetts-students-parcc-and-mcas-exams-comparable-in-predicting-college-outcomes