MAC Overview

The MAC was established for the development, administration, scoring, reporting and teacher training for the Mississippi Career Planning and Assessment System, Edition 2 and has participated in assessment development since 2003. The MAC brings together faculty and staff with demonstrated experience in researching, developing and disseminating statewide vocational and technical curricula, assessment, professional development and industry training media. Our dedicated and professional staff, efficient timelines, and combined experiences enable the MAC to deliver the required materials and services in the most timely and economic manner for the Mississippi Department of Education and the schools in Mississippi. The MAC offers the best solution in providing high-quality assessment and professional development aligned with the state curriculum. Alignment occurs from the beginning of the developmental process to the end of the process as teachers and administrators throughout the state are trained in analyzing and using data to make informed decisions to improve instruction in all program areas.

By combining the expertise available at the RCU, the MAC is positioned to provide a cost-effective, high-quality service to the state not only in education but also in printing and production endeavors. A value-added component is that the funding remains in the state, providing jobs for high-quality researchers, educators and staff that have a vested interest in the state and its students, teachers and administrators.

State departments use standardized tests as a way to judge the quality of education in school districts. Standardized tests provide data on a large number of students at a relatively low cost. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and Carl Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998 legislation relies heavily on the results of standardized tests. The MAC will adhere to all federal and state legislative requirements.

The MAC has been developing Career and Technical Education assessments since 2001 and has been instrumental in developing a new accountability model for CTE assessments that increased the accountability for all CTE program areas. The MAC also has experience aligning CTE curricula and assessments with national industry standards and has conducted job-demand research for the state to determine the viability of each program funded by federal dollars. To ensure that each assessment measures technical-skill attainment, the MAC has implemented research-based assessment-development strategies that included the following:

• Item bank development
• Blueprint development
• Sample items
• Reliability studies
• Validity studies
• Report development
• Data mining and school-improvement training for administrators and instructors at the secondary and postsecondary levels