Testing filter

July 1, 2011 8:03 AM

Help me subvert the education-industrial complex!

Is it usual to be able to purchase student practice workbooks for the Maryland State Assessment tests (grades 3-8) only from two publishers, Coach Publishing and Continental Press? I am having difficulty finding these series (Crosswalk and Finish Line) elsewhere or at lower prices.

I am looking for discounted sources of MSA workbooks that are still for this year (2011-12) or online resources.

Would it still be possible to use a previous year's?

Alternatively, are discounted sources more available for other (larger) states and will it be possible for us to use e.g., New York's?

posted by bad grammar to Education (2 answers total)

Each state has it's own standards and materials for their educational testing with very variable benchmarks for proficiency so what is considered a standard one place is not necessarily so another. It's among many awful parts of No Child Left Behind. Purchasing materials for another state will not necessarily help you.

I'm also curious, why are you interested in purchasing these materials? We might be able to point you to more helpful resources if we had an idea of what you're using the materials for.
posted by goggie at 8:57 AM on July 1, 2011

Response by poster: I work at a small independent school with a tight budget and the teachers who will be using the materials want to keep costs down. I have suggested buying one Maryland MSA student workbook for each grade level and making xerox copies as needed. The school is small enough that we don't get the large-scale discounts from the publishers.
posted by bad grammar at 7:49 PM on July 1, 2011