The MS-CPAS Minute is a monthly publication of the Research and Curriculum Unit's Assessment team. It is designed to help CTE directors, test coordinators, and instructors stay up to date with the latest news about CTE assessments. It is the primary means of communication from the assessment team to stakeholders around the state.

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  Down, Set...

  Even if you don't enjoy watching football, the kickoff of high school games reminds us we will soon have relief from the dog days of summer. This year, the official start of fall is Sept. 23. As in every organization and season of the year, we, too, are experiencing changes...Read More

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  It's Great to Have You Back!

  The close of another great MS ACTE Summer Conference readies us for the sound of the first bell of the school year. I can already imagine educators and administrators with renewed energy welcoming another group of eager students...Read More
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  Freedom and the Fourth!

  As the dog days of summer are upon us, the month of July always signals a time of rest integrated with professional development and planning for CTE educators across our state. Our assessment team is preparing for postsecondary summer testing...Read More
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  Summer is Here!

  Even though the final bells have rung, our work as educators never stops. Our team is finalizing national certification reports, item bank analysis, anchor setting processes, and assessment evaluation reports...Read More
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  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...Read More
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  Spring (Testing) is Here!

  April in Mississippi beckons the start of warm weather and signals our approach to the end of another school year. For our team, it begins the largest testing period in the Mississippi CTE world, a period of eight weeks during which over 35,000 secondary and postsecondary students are tested...Read More
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  Bell Ringers, Reminders, and Practice Runs

  Periodic tasks and responsibilities tend to be things that cause difficulty, both for students and educators. In fact, it happens quite a bit for the assessment staff. Changes in job processes, such as some types of MS-CPAS deliverables, can cause minor snags...Read More
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  Passion With a Purpose

  If you are anything like me, tasks and responsibilities that are only completed periodically each year tend to slip the mind when the calendar flips around to that time. New job processes, such as some things in MS-CPAS, may also add to this uncertainty. February always signals a time for us in assessment to become focused...Read More
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  Turning Over a New Leaf

  January is always one of my favorite times of the year. For me, it signals cooler temperatures and the promise of a looming spring. It also sparks a time of renewed energy and focus for most of us. After a much needed break, students and educators are ready for the start of the spring semester...Read More

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  Reliable Weather or Scores?

  For us in Mississippi, the weather in December brings varying degrees of difficulty when it comes to deciding what to wear. By no means have I ever attested to have Mississippi winter weather patterns figured out after living most of my life in the state. This variability, at least for me, always introduces some skepticism...Read More
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  Fall Forward

  For us in Mississippi, November typically brings cooler temperatures, the end of daylight savings time, colorful foliage, and Thanksgiving break. For those of us in education, it also means we are getting closer to midyear in our schools and beginning to prepare for fall MS-CPAS testing...Read More
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  Trick or Treat

  I hope most of you are familiar with our newsletters now that a majority of schools are finishing the first nine weeks of the academic year! Please take a moment to share our MS-CPAS Minute page with others who may want to subscribe or catch up on recent issues...Read More
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  Bring on Fall

  Although the temperatures have not quite signaled the beginning of fall, Sept. 22 does officially mark the end of summer. As the leaves on the trees start to change color, we are experiencing more change with our team. Two Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District educators have joined our ranks...Read More
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  Welcome Back, Welcome Back, Welcome Back

  The end of another successful MS ACTE Summer Conference signals the start of another school year and renewed energy for eager students looking to explore the career pathways our statewide CTE centers offer. As with the start of any new year, there is always some semblance of change... Read More
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  The Heat Is On

  Welcome to the dog days of summer! With July's arrival, the frequency of family reunions, pool parties, and fireworks displays increases at the same rate as the humidity and temperature. For us on the Research and Curriculum Unit's assessment team, July means the close of regular testing... Read More
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  We're Just Warming Up

  With the temperature gauge rising outside and the Mississippi heat coming in full force, the Research and Curriculum Unit's assessment team shifts into another gear. We are finalizing national certification reports, item analysis, item-bank edits, anchor-setting processes, and assessment evaluation reports... Read More
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  The Finish Line

  As we charge headlong into the last month of the school year, it is not uncommon to breathe a sigh of relief. In this momentary pause, I feel it is normal to reflect on the positives of our last 10 months. Like you, we intentionally build this reflection time into our work to evaluate our work and see if we have done all we can... Read More
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  Start Your Engines

  As we move into April, you know that we are nearing the end of another school year, but you also realize that there is a lot left to accomplish before the final bus leaves the carpool line. Here are a few reminders to hopefully keep things calm during our last months of the school year...Read More
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  It Doesn't Ring a Bell

  If you are anything like me, tasks and responsibilities that I only complete periodically in a year may tend to slip my mind when the calendar flips to that time of the year. New job processes, such as some things in MS-CPAS, may also add to this uncertainty. It definitely does for me...Read More
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  Getting in Gear

  February signals a time for our team, as well as school districts, to accelerate into high gear to meet all of the goals and objectives set at the beginning of the school year. This is a good time for reflection, seeing as how the Valentine month typically is the halfway mark of the school year...Read More
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  Off with the Old, On with the New

  With the start of every year, we reflect on the past year's accomplishments and look to improve in certain areas. With the new version and requirements of MS-CPAS, the assessment team is continuing to look through an educator's lens with a growth mindset toward improving everything we do to help Mississippi students...Read More
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  Effectively Using Reports

  As many of you know, using the data that comes from statewide testing appropriately can assist in planning and organization for any program. Reports from fall testing will be available Dec. 1. Here are some of the more important reports you should access from our website after each testing cycle...Read More
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  Testing-Prep Reminders for Test Coordinators

  As many of you know, the key to any successful testing period in a school setting hinges on planning and organization. Here are a few key reminders prior to starting testing in your school...Read More
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  New Assessment Scoring Methods

  Beginning this fall, you'll notice changes in how MS-CPAS tests are scored and how those scores are reported. The most immediate and noticeable difference for educators and parents is that individual test results will start to move from percentage scores to scaled scores...Read More
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  Notes from the Assessment Manager

  Wow! The summer flew by in the blink of an eye, and the 2017 school year is in full swing. As we enter a new school year, the assessment staff at the Research and Curriculum Unit turns our attention to fall MS-CPAS testing. We have just started a new 10-year contract with the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE), which we hope continues our efforts to assist administrators and educators in career and technical education (CTE) in improving instructional strategies and student outcomes through the data we provide in the coming years...Read More