Subject: Special Education
Grade Level(s): 3 – 8
Measures Growth: No
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The Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program-Modified Academic Achievement Standards is an assessment program designed to provide a more accurate means of measuring the achievement of students whose cognitive disabilities may interfere with their performance on large scale examinations. The purpose of the TCAP-MAAS is to identify individual learning needs while also assessing students' academic progress.
Pros: Aligned to the standards I teach • Assesses higher-order thinking • Takes students a reasonable amount of time to complete
Cons: Misses growth of some students, such as those far below and/or far above grade level
Pros: Easy to administer • Results returned quickly • Helps me track my students' learning gains over the course of the school year • Data is presented clearly
Cons: Is not helpful to my professional growth as a teacher
The MAAS reduces frustration for the child that struggles with learning.
Submitted by Gay in Mississippi on April 2, 2012
Pros: Aligned to the standards I teach • Assesses a range of students, including those from far below to far above grade level • Takes students a reasonable amount of time to complete
Pros: Easy to administer
I like the MAAS because it offers fewer answer choices than the TCAP. This really helps my special education students.
Submitted by Sherill in Tennessee on March 31, 2012
Pros: Aligned to the standards I teach
Cons: Takes students too long to complete
Cons: Results are not returned quickly • Doesn't help me track my students' learning gains over time
A great plus of the TCAP MAAS is that it is aligned to the curriculum that I teach. However, it takes an extremely long time to administer to students with ADD, ADHD, or any other type of academic disability and the students often become fidgetity and unfocused. We also have to wait too long to receive the scores and I don't really think they are a true indicator of what my students have and have not learned.
Submitted by Gail in Tennessee on February 15, 2012
Pros: Aligned to the standards I teach • Assesses higher-order thinking • Assesses a range of students, including those from far below to far above grade level • Takes students a reasonable amount of time to complete
Pros: Easy to administer • Helps me track my students' learning gains over the course of the school year • Data I receive helps me understand where I am teaching well and where I need to improve
Cons: Results are not returned quickly
This was a great alternative assessment for SPED students that were taught by inclusion teachers. This assessment was geared at testing the same information of the regular -ed students with some minor modifications. The state of Tennesse only used this test for one year. I thought this was the best way to level the testing field for some of the SPED population.
Submitted by Charles in Tennessee on January 24, 2012
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