Another Year in the Books!
It feels like just yesterday I was writing the August Minute that welcomed the start of a new school year. Too soon, it seems, we find ourselves discussing the end of statewide testing, final grades being due, and graduation ceremonies commencing. Before you prepare for your much-deserved summer break, I feel it is normal to have a time of reflection on the positives from the the last 10 months. We appreciate the hard work each district has done to make sure all students have the best opportunity to be postsecondary ready. To help you reflect, we have a few reminders that may help during the summer break.
- Interpretive Guide: Each August, we update the MS-CPAS Interpretive Guide. This document provides data interpretation guidelines for teachers, administrators, and school districts for all of the CTE reports offered by our department. The basic outline of this document is a listing of all reports, an ordered list of each report's functions defined, and a sample screenshot of each report. The guide can be downloaded here.
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Reports: Districts have access to reports from fall 2010 to present. By studying all of the years for each program, it can give schools insight into possible patterns in program success as they relate to statewide testing. Final reports are always published two weeks after the close of testing. Whether you are new to CTE or a seasoned veteran, please feel free to email the Help Desk if you have suggestions for report modifications or new reports that will help in your programs. We are always open to your input! Reports can be accessed with your RCU district account here.
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Other Important Dates: Download the exact dates for other testing-related events for the summer of 2018 in a single page format here
Thank you again for everything you do for the students and communities of Mississippi!
Sean Owen, PhD
Assessment Manager
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Important Dates
Secondary Final Reports Available.......................................................May 10
Postsecondary Summer Roster Submission Period..................June 11-July 2
Postsecondary Summer Testing.........................................................July 8-12
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MS-CPAS Updates
MS-CPAS testing 2019 is now in the books. Our team enjoyed walking through the testing season with you. Your input and insights are helpful to us, and we are always interested in your feedback. If there is a comment or a suggestion that you have on the preparation for or the administration of the MS-CPAS, please share it with us at this link:
MS-CPAS Suggestions. We truly appreciate your perspective and want to make the MS-CPAS process as user-friendly as possible.
- MS-CPAS Class Report: This report contains the class' average score for each unit and can be used to inform instructional practices.
- MS-CPAS State Overview Report: This report contains the state's average score for each unit and allows instructors to compare their students' unit scores with the statewide average.
- MS-CPAS State District Program Ranking Report: This report can be helpful as a networking tool, allowing instructors to connect with teachers in programs with demonstrated success.
Reports are available to district RCU website account holders. Thank you for downloading and sharing reports with your instructional staff.
And remember, we are here to help. If you have a question, please reach out to us by sending a
Help Desk ticket or by calling
800.901.7433 or 662.325.2510.
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National Certifications Updates
The national certification testing window closes May 10. Please remember to take advantage of all of the national certification testing resources available on the
RCU Assessment page
. These resources include PowerPoints, online tutorials, quick reference guides, and more. Let the RCU website be your one-stop shop for your ASE, Certiport MTA: Microsoft Technology Associate, CERT & FEMA NIMS, CompTIA: IT Fundamentals, NCCER, and ProStart needs.
Several questions have arisen regarding ProStart and how to prepare for testing. If you are still planning to administer the ProStart exam to your students and have not contacted the RCU to receive your student voucher codes, please submit a
Help Desk
ticket
and tell us how many Level 1 and Level 2 students you will test as well as which edition (1st or 2nd) of the ProStart exam vouchers you will need. Still have questions about ProStart? Follow
this link
for information regarding ProStart.
If you have any questions or issues, please feel free reach out through our Help Desk or call 662.325.2510.
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Performance-Based Assessment
Thanks to everyone who contributed toward making this spring's performance-based assessment administration a success. More than 500 students had their PBA tasks scored by their instructor, two industry professionals, and two other instructors from Mississippi school districts. This opportunity allows students to showcase their skills and receive feedback from evaluators, and it allows teachers to learn how students in other school districts are approaching the PBA. We hope participation in this assessment will lead to greater learning opportunities for both students and teachers. Be on the lookout for communication about future PBA-related professional development opportunities including those at MS ACTE in July.
Reports for PBA will be available by 5 p.m. on Friday, May 10. Reports will include teacher-, class-, and student-level data.
As always, if you have any questions, you can let us know via a phone call or Help Desk ticket.
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Assessment Manager ..............................
IAD Meetings and Training Events...........
National Certification ...............................
PBA .........................................................
Research and Standard Setting................
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Have assessment needs not addressed in this issue?
Create a Help Desk ticket, and we'll get right on it!
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