Measurements of Student Progress (MSP)

The following information was provided by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).

The Washington Comprehensive Assessment Program (WCAP)

The Washington Comprehensive Assessment Program (WCAP) encompasses the entire state testing program and is comprised of a standards-based set of assessments. The program’s assessments were developed specifically to measure student progress toward meeting the Essential Academic Learning
Requirements (EALRs) and Grade Level Expectations (GLEs).

The WCAP features two new assessments, the grades 3–8 Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) and High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE) for high school. Students are assessed in Reading and Mathematics in Grades 3–8 and High School (administered in Grade 10). The Writing assessment is administered in Grades 4, 7 and High School (administered in Grade 10). The Science assessment is administered at Grades 5, 8 and HighSchool (administered in Grade 10).

These assessments use combinations of four item types:
multiple-choice, short answer, completion and stand-alone items.

The WCAP is a standards-based student assessment program designed to:
• Assist schools, districts and the state in improving student learning.
• Report students’ level of proficiency relative to the Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) in Reading, Writing, Mathematics and Science.
• Measure progress toward district and school improvement targets.
• Serve as Washington’s accountability measure to meet federal requirements under the “No Child Left Behind” Act.
• Be used as one of the state’s requirements for a standard high school diploma, beginning with the graduating class of 2008.

Careful examination and interpretation of MSP/HSPE results, in conjunction with district- and classroom based assessments, can help reveal areas of relative strength and weakness in student learning. Teachers and administrators can use this information in planning for effective instruction in relation to the EALRs and GLEs.

Although the MSP/HSPE assessments provide high-quality information that is reliable and valid, they cannot give all the information that a district or school needs about a student’s achievement of the EALRs. Many factors contribute to student achievement. For these reasons, the district and school results
from the WCAP are best interpreted within the context of local quantitative and qualitative information.