NM-MSSA Performance Levels 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: NM-MSSA performance levels are set through a process called standard setting. Who typically participates in this process?
- Only state department officials
- Panels of educators, content experts, and community members (Correct answer)
- Federal testing contractors exclusively
- Individual classroom teachers scoring their own students
Correct answer: Panels of educators, content experts, and community members
Standard setting panels include educators, content experts, and community stakeholders who collectively recommend cut scores for each performance level.
Question 2: If New Mexico raises the cut score between 'Approaching' and 'Proficient,' what is the most likely immediate effect on reported data?
- More students will appear to score at Proficient
- Fewer students will appear to score at Proficient or Above (Correct answer)
- The number of Advanced students will increase
- Scale scores will change for all students
Correct answer: Fewer students will appear to score at Proficient or Above
Raising the cut score means students need a higher scale score to be classified as Proficient, so fewer students will meet that threshold.
Question 3: A parent notices their child's NM-MSSA score report shows 'Advanced' in math but 'Approaching' in ELA. What does this mean?
- The child passed math but failed ELA
- The child exceeds grade-level math standards but has not yet met ELA standards (Correct answer)
- The child needs tutoring in both subjects
- The child scored below average in both subjects
Correct answer: The child exceeds grade-level math standards but has not yet met ELA standards
Advanced in math means the student exceeds grade-level math expectations, while Approaching in ELA means the student has not yet met the ELA standard.
Question 4: Which federal law requires New Mexico to publicly report the percentage of students at each NM-MSSA performance level?
- No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
- Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (Correct answer)
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
- Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 original version only
Correct answer: Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
ESSA requires states to administer statewide assessments and publicly report performance level results for accountability purposes.
Question 5: A district sees that its percentage of students at 'Beginning' increased from last year to this year. What is one valid interpretation of this trend?
- Student learning has definitively declined
- More students may need intensive academic intervention this year (Correct answer)
- The test became easier this year
- Teachers are performing below expectations
Correct answer: More students may need intensive academic intervention this year
An increase in Beginning-level students suggests more students may need intensive support, though multiple factors should be examined before drawing firm conclusions.
Question 6: On NM-MSSA reports, performance levels are reported for which student subgroups?
- Only the overall student population
- Overall population plus subgroups like ELL, special education, and income status (Correct answer)
- Only students with IEPs
- Only students who scored Proficient or Advanced
Correct answer: Overall population plus subgroups like ELL, special education, and income status
ESSA requires disaggregated reporting by subgroups including English Language Learners, students with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged students.
Question 7: What is the primary purpose of having multiple performance levels rather than a simple pass/fail system on NM-MSSA?
- To reduce the cost of scoring the assessment
- To provide more detailed information about where students fall relative to standards (Correct answer)
- To make the test easier for students to understand
- To align with college entrance exam scoring
Correct answer: To provide more detailed information about where students fall relative to standards
Multiple performance levels give educators and families more nuanced information about a student's current standing and instructional needs.
NM-MSSA Performance Levels 3
NM-MSSA performance levels are set through a process called standard setting.
Who typically participates in this process?