About the Maryland School Assessment (MSA)

State Testing Information for Maryland

Portions of the following material were taken from the Maryland Department of Education website. Please see our links and source sections at the bottom of the page for more details and references.

General Description of the Tests

Maryland School Assessment (MSA)

• Grades: 3-8
• Subjects: Reading, Mathematics, Science
• Includes multiple-choice questions and questions requiring written responses
• Measures basic as well as higher level skills
• Students take the tests for approximately 90 minutes each day. There are four days of testing––two days for reading and two days for math.
• The testing vendor sends the scores for individual students to local school systems. The school systems then distribute the scores to parents.
• The MSA scores show how well students learned the reading and mathematics skills in the Voluntary State Curriculum. A norm-referenced score is also provided to show how students performed compared to other students across the nation.

Alternate Maryland School Assessment (ALT-MSA)

• Grades: 3-8, 10
• An assessment designed for students with significant cognitive disabilities who are unable to participate in a regular assessment, even when accommodations are provided

Our curriculum is focused around actual material that a student is likely to see on the upcoming Maryland School Assessment (MSA) test. Nationally known for delivering high quality and affordable materials that help students improve their scores, we provide you both paper-based instruction and easy to use online test preparation.