MCAS key terms

The most important point a text makes about its topic, whether stated outright or implied. It is developed through details, examples, and evidence, and test questions usually ask students to state it and support it with specific passages from the text.

A message about life or human nature conveyed by a literary work, developed through characters, plot, and conflict rather than stated directly. Theme differs from topic: topic is what a text is about, while theme is what the text says about that subject.

A conclusion a reader draws by combining information stated in a text with background knowledge. Valid inferences must be supported by textual evidence rather than guesswork, and questions often ask which detail best supports a given inference.

Specific words, phrases, sentences, data, or details quoted or paraphrased from a passage to support a claim or answer. Strong responses cite precise evidence and explain how it proves the point instead of listing quotations.

How an author organizes information: chronological, cause and effect, compare and contrast, problem and solution, or description. Recognizing structure helps readers follow relationships among ideas and anticipate what information will come next in a passage.

The reason an author writes: to inform, explain, persuade, entertain, or describe. Purpose shapes word choice, structure, and the kind of evidence included, so identifying it guides interpretation of the whole passage.

The perspective from which a text is told: first person, third person limited, or third person omniscient in literature, or a speaker's stance in informational text. Point of view affects what information readers receive and how they judge reliability.

Language that departs from literal meaning for effect, including simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, and idiom. Readers must interpret the comparison or image and explain how it contributes to meaning, tone, or the reader's impression.

A statement an author or student asserts and defends with reasons and evidence. In argument writing a claim is debatable rather than a plain fact, and it is supported by logical reasoning, examples, and acknowledgment of counterclaims.

The value of a digit determined by its position in a number, such as ones, tens, hundreds, or tenths and hundredths. Place value underpins regrouping, rounding, comparing decimals, and the standard algorithms for multi-digit computation.

Fractions that name the same quantity even though numerators and denominators differ, such as 1/2 and 3/6. Multiplying or dividing both numerator and denominator by the same nonzero number produces a fraction of equal value.

A rate expressed per one unit of the second quantity, such as miles per hour or cost per item. Unit rates allow comparison of different offers and appear as the constant of proportionality in tables, graphs, and equations.

A relationship in which two quantities vary together at a constant ratio, so the graph is a straight line through the origin and the equation has the form y = kx. Doubling one quantity doubles the other.

The constant rate of change of a linear relationship, calculated as rise over run, or change in y divided by change in x. Slope describes steepness and direction and appears as the coefficient of x in y = mx + b.

Two or more equations considered together whose solution is the set of values satisfying all of them at once. On a graph, the solution of a two-variable linear system is the point where the lines intersect.

The average distance between each data value and the mean of the data set. A larger mean absolute deviation indicates greater spread, while a smaller value indicates that data cluster tightly near the mean.

A change in a figure's position or size on a coordinate plane: translation (slide), rotation (turn), reflection (flip), or dilation (scaling). Translations, rotations, and reflections preserve congruence, while dilations preserve shape but change size.

The relationship in right triangles stating that the square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the legs: a squared plus b squared equals c squared. It is used to find unknown side lengths and distances between points.

A testable prediction about the relationship between variables, stated before data are collected. A useful hypothesis can be supported or refuted by evidence and usually predicts both what will happen and why it will happen.

The variable the experimenter deliberately changes or manipulates. It is usually plotted on the horizontal axis, and its effect is observed by measuring the dependent variable while other conditions are held constant.

The comparison group in an experiment that does not receive the treatment being tested, so all other conditions stay the same. Comparing the control group with the experimental group shows whether the change actually had an effect.

A simplified representation of a system, object, or process used to explain, predict, or test ideas, such as a diagram, graph, physical replica, or computer simulation. Models have limits and are revised as new evidence appears.

The process by which individuals with inherited traits that improve survival and reproduction in a given environment leave more offspring, so those traits become more common in later generations. It requires variation, heritability, and differences in reproductive success.

Movement of energy from one object or system to another, or conversion from one form to another, such as potential energy becoming kinetic energy. Total energy is conserved in a closed system, though it may dissipate as heat.

The theory that Earth's lithosphere is divided into plates that move over the mantle, causing earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain building, and seafloor spreading at their boundaries. Plate interactions explain global patterns of geologic events.

A cyclical set of steps used to solve a problem within constraints: defining the problem, researching, designing, building a prototype, testing, and improving. Solutions are judged against criteria and constraints such as cost, safety, and available materials.

An account or object created by a participant or witness at the time of an event, such as letters, diaries, photographs, speeches, artifacts, or official records. Primary sources offer direct evidence but reflect their creator's limited perspective.

A work created later that interprets or analyzes primary sources, such as textbooks, biographies, encyclopedia entries, and scholarly articles. Secondary sources summarize and explain evidence but depend on the sources behind them.

An unfair preference or slant in how information is selected, worded, or framed, reflecting the creator's interests, values, or intended audience. Detecting bias requires examining word choice, what is omitted, and the source's purpose.

The time, place, and circumstances in which an event or document was produced, including political, economic, and social conditions. Reading a source in context prevents judging the past by present-day assumptions.

A moment when events shift decisively in a new direction, changing the course of a conflict, movement, or era. Historians debate which events deserve this label by weighing short-term and long-term effects.

A system that divides power between a national government and state governments, each level holding its own authority and responsibilities. Arguments over the balance between national and state power recur throughout United States history.

The division of government into legislative, executive, and judicial branches with distinct functions, so that no single branch holds all authority. Paired with checks and balances, it lets each branch limit the power of the others.

A category describing how a student's MCAS results compare with grade-level expectations. Next-generation reports use four levels: Exceeding Expectations, Meeting Expectations, Partially Meeting Expectations, and Not Meeting Expectations.

The number reported for a student's MCAS performance after raw points are converted to a common scale. On next-generation MCAS, scores run from 440 to 560, and 500 is the lowest score in Meeting Expectations.

The Massachusetts graduation requirement that students meet through MCAS performance in English language arts, mathematics, and science and technology/engineering, or through an approved appeal process. It is separate from earning course credits.

A test question requiring a written answer of several sentences, scored with a rubric rather than marked simply right or wrong. Full credit usually requires a clear claim supported by relevant evidence plus explanation connecting the evidence to the claim.