MDE Assessment Framework 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which concept refers to the degree to which an assessment consistently produces the same results under similar conditions?
- Validity
- Reliability (Correct answer)
- Fairness
- Alignment
Correct answer: Reliability
Reliability is the consistency of assessment results across time, raters, or test forms under comparable conditions.
Question 2: Minnesota's alternate assessment (MTAS) is designed for students who:
- Are English language learners with fewer than three years in U.S. schools
- Have significant cognitive disabilities and cannot access the general assessment (Correct answer)
- Scored below the 25th percentile on the prior year's MCA
- Are enrolled in accelerated or gifted programs
Correct answer: Have significant cognitive disabilities and cannot access the general assessment
MTAS (Minnesota Test of Academic Skills) is designed for students with significant cognitive disabilities who require an alternate assessment aligned to modified standards.
Question 3: What does 'alignment' mean when evaluating an assessment's quality?
- Ensuring all students receive the same test booklet
- The degree to which assessment items match the intended standards and curriculum (Correct answer)
- Scheduling tests so they don't conflict with holidays
- Matching scores to a predetermined grade distribution
Correct answer: The degree to which assessment items match the intended standards and curriculum
Alignment means the assessment items accurately reflect the depth, breadth, and cognitive demand of the academic standards being measured.
Question 4: Under the MDE framework, which assessment purpose is classified as 'summative'?
- A teacher's exit ticket at the end of a lesson
- End-of-unit chapter tests scored by the classroom teacher
- The MCA administered each spring to measure annual proficiency (Correct answer)
- Weekly reading fluency checks recorded in a progress monitoring system
Correct answer: The MCA administered each spring to measure annual proficiency
Summative assessments evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional period; the MCA is Minnesota's primary large-scale summative assessment.
Question 5: A teacher uses assessment data to move struggling students into a small intervention group. This is an example of:
- High-stakes accountability
- Data-driven instructional decision-making (Correct answer)
- Norm-referenced comparison
- Summative evaluation
Correct answer: Data-driven instructional decision-making
Using assessment results to identify student needs and adjust grouping or instruction is the core purpose of data-driven instructional decision-making.
Question 6: Which federal law most directly governs statewide assessment requirements for Minnesota public schools?
- No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
- Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (Correct answer)
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Correct answer: Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
ESSA, signed in 2015, replaced NCLB and is the current federal law governing statewide accountability and assessment requirements.
Question 7: A school counselor reviews MCA score reports to identify students who may need additional academic support. This use of assessment data is BEST described as:
- Program evaluation
- Individual student support planning (Correct answer)
- Curriculum mapping
- Teacher evaluation
Correct answer: Individual student support planning
Using individual student assessment results to plan targeted academic interventions or support is a core function of student support planning.
MDE Assessment Framework 3
Which concept refers to the degree to which an assessment consistently produces the same results under similar conditions?