(Mis)Understanding Scale Scores on the MCA
(Updated version to correct an error in the scale score ranges for each achievement level graphic.)
Student MCA scores from the spring 2019 administration (i.e., Individual Student Reports – ISRs) have been received by school districts. When these are distributed to families, there may be questions that parents will ask you about the scores. Below is information on the scale scores (e.g., 355, 492, 586, 632, etc.) that may help you answer their questions.
What is a scale score and what do the numbers represent?
Students’ scale scores are created by translating their MCA results onto the standardized scale for each grade that is used every year for the MCA-III. The first digit(s) of the scale score always represents the student’s grade level. The last two digits represent the student’s score. The range of the last two digits vary for each test, and the highest score possible is not always 99. (The specific limits for each grade are in the graph below.)
Can I compare scale scores from one grade to the next?
No. Do not compare scale scores from one grade to another because the scale for each grade is independent of the other grades. The grade-level scales are independent (not continuous) since the test for each grade level is built to assess content from the academic standards at that grade level.
The independence of the scales for each grade means that subtracting scale scores from one year to the next does not give meaningful interpretations about student growth.
Here is an example that illustrates why comparing across grades can be problematic.
Consider a student who received a scale score of 492 on the grade 4 mathematics MCA, indicating high performance on the test. However, the top score on the grade 4 math scale is 499, meaning the student did not max out the measurable range in grade 4. The same student might receive a scale score of 586, which is the highest scale score on the grade 5 mathematics MCA. In this situation, if the scale score values are treated as continuous, the student may be incorrectly classified as demonstrating declining performance when the scores do not support that conclusion.
What can I use to look at growth from one year to the next?
The achievement level provides a general measure to compare a student’s performance from year to year. A student who moves up an achievement level from one grade to the next has clearly demonstrated positive growth because they are showing greater mastery of more difficult standards. Students who maintain partially meeting, meeting, or exceeding the standards also display growth because students’ skills must improve from the previous grade’s standards in order to remain at the same achievement level across grades.
Can a student’s scores be used to determine which course a student should take?
No, an individual student’s scores should NOT be used to determine which courses they can or cannot take during their K–12 years. The main evidence used to make these important decisions should come from the classroom and school levels since these are based on more data than MCA scores.
So how can I use a student’s MCA score?
MCA scores are most useful when considering aggregated scores for all students in a school or district. Using the Mathematics MCA Achievement Level Descriptor Maps, you can see where instruction/curriculum may need to change to better align with the expectations of the standards. For an individual student, the MCA is a small part of a larger assessment system that includes classroom and school/district assessments. In other words,
MCA test scores can help confirm a student’s achievement, but they do not determine a student’s achievement.
For more information about scale scores, read the following documents from the Testing 1, 2, 3 website:
Please contact us with any questions, concerns, or requests to visit your school.
Angela Hochstetter, Mathematics Assessment Specialist (angela.hochstetter@state.mn.us)
Michael Huberty, Mathematics Assessment Specialist (michael.huberty@state.mn.us)
For questions about resources from the Testing 1, 2, 3 website please contact:
Kendra Olsen, Outreach & Training Specialist – Data and Reporting (kendra.olsen@state.mn.us)