Maryland Integrated Science Assessment (MISA) is a science assessment for Grade 5, Grade 8, and High School. Essentially, this assessment is to understand where the child or the student stand in terms of science literacy. Are they at the level that they’re supposed to be or not, and the degree to which they’re prepared to study further science content in higher classes.
This is a longitudinal study designed to measure student progress in science by the Maryland State Department of Education. In 2019 and 2022, 15.3% and 21.4% of fifth grade students met or exceeded expectations on the MISA test which is a 40% growth. For the same 2019 and 2022, the eighth grade students witnessed 20.2% and 21.8% of students to have met or exceeded expectations which is an 8% growth. More than three-quarters of fifth graders and eighth graders who took the MISA have partially met or approached expectations.
Some sample questions for the fifth grade MISA test are:
Each question on the MISA has a stimulus that focuses on a real world context. The question typically has a storyline that requires students to use their understanding of science to make sense of the information provided to them.
Which of the following waves has the highest amount of energy?
MISA Practice Test Links
MISA Grade 8 Practice Test Unit 1
MISA Grade 8 Practice Test Unit 2
MISA Grade 5 Practice Test
MISA Test Scoring Categories
The MISA score report grading is as based on three categories:
- Met or Exceeded Expectations: Students in this category are likely well-prepared to engage with more science in the higher classes. They may also be put into gifted education and better preparation and enrichment challenges.
- Approached Expectations: Students in this category likely need support to engage successfully with science material in the higher classes.
- Did Not Yet Meet Expectations: Students in this category are likely not academically prepared to engage with higher science material from higher classes. They need instructional interventions to increase their performance in the science subjects.
At UnicMinds, we help children prepare for the MISA test for fifth and eighth grades.
Hope this is useful, thank you.
Click on the respective to know about other exams such as the OLSAT, CogAT, MAP, and Kangaroo Mathematics for Kids.
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