Prep for MAAP Tests with Virtual Practice Tests

Mississippi state testing doesn’t need to make educators or students nervous — with the proper preparation, you and your students can confidently approach MAAP tests, knowing they’re ready for whatever questions the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program throws at them.

Here’s what you should know about MAAP tests and how to prepare your students for the best online assessments.

The Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) measures student achievement against the Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for English language arts, mathematics, science, and U.S. history. Featuring both annual assessments for elementary and middle schools and end-of-course exams for high school students, MAAP tests provide insight into how students and particular schools and districts are achieving expected outcomes.

• English language arts (grades 3–8)
• Mathematics (grades 3–8)
• Science (grades 5 and 8)
• End-of-course exams for high school students: Algebra I, Biology I, English II, U.S. history

Mississippi students with significant cognitive disabilities may qualify to take the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program-Alternate (MAAP-A), which tests students against the Mississippi Academic Alternate Achievement Standards (MAAAS). MAAP-A tests the following subjects and grade levels:

• Reading, writing, mathematics: Grades 3–8
• Science: At least one grade in each of these grade bands:
  • Grades 3–5
  • Grades 5–8
  • Grades 9–12

In addition to the MAAP-A and MAAP tests, Mississippi administers the DRC LAS Links Assessment System test to English language learners to test their proficiency in the English language. All students in grade 11 take the ACT, and Mississippi high school students have opportunities to take the ACT WorkKeys assessment of job skills.

MAAP tests, and many of Mississippi’s other assessments, are administered online. This enables the tests to take a closer look at students’ learning, going beyond multiple-choice questions with technology-enhanced questions that require students to engage in critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Virtual tests also require students to be familiar with digital test-taking technology. Whether they come across drag-and-drop and dropdown features or must fill a table or create a graph on-screen, your students need to know how to properly navigate the testing technology and interact with its features to provide answers. They need to know the content and the technology.

This is where virtual practice tests come in. To prepare for MAAP tests, virtual practice tests provide students with both a sense of what they’ll be tested on and a familiarity with the test-taking technology. With a few practice sessions, your students can identify their weaknesses (and strengths!) and hone their digital test-taking skills. Along the way, they’ll gain confidence that will come in handy for test day.

To ensure they’re fully fluent in the technology, have them practice on the device they’ll use for the MAAP test, whether a tablet, laptop, or desktop computer. This way, they’ll know exactly how the testing software interacts with their device — no surprises left for test day.

To make MAAP test prep as easy as possible, Edulastic has already uploaded practice MAAP test content to the Edulastic Public Library. All you have to do is set up a free Edulastic account, and you’ll be able to administer the practice tests to your students — in a virtual environment that mimics the look and feel of the real MAAP tests.

If you want to tweak pre-made assessment items or make your own, that’s an option too! And all questions can be tied to Mississippi learning standards, making tracking mastery easier. With the results from students’ online practice, you’ll better understand what additional instruction or guidance is needed.

When you give your students MAAP practice on Edulastic, you’ll provide them with a boost leading up to state testing day.

Ready to get started?

Join Edulastic for FREE to administer the MAAP practice test

Resource Links

• https://www.mdek12.org/OSA/MAAP
• https://www.mdek12.org/