For the last three math questions included in the questionnaire, students were allowed to use a graphing or scientific calculator.

In last spring’s exams10th graders had to earn at least 25 percent of available points in math and 39 percent in English to graduate. (They needed a higher score to graduate without completing a “educational competency plan”, which may include certain additional courses or assessments.)

Mostly, but that’s far from the full experience. These are short examples of just a few questions and are not representative: All questions above they are multiple choice, with only one answer; there are also essay questions on the real english test and short answer questions on the maths exam. These questions do it does not represent the full range of subjects tested in the actual exams.

Yes, like this test, the MCAS is usually given on a computer. Accommodations for students with disabilities and English learners include a text-to-speech reader, paper tests, and bilingual dictionaries. High school math and science tests are also available in Spanish.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at [email protected]. Follow L @huffakingit. Kirkland An can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @kirkland_an