Throughout April, students across the state will put away their books and notebooks and spend hours taking standardized proficiency tests.

But they will have more to think about than just making sure they completely fill in the oval using a No. 2 pencil when they begin taking the new Missouri Assessment Program math assessment this month.

Until this year, most school districts gave their students the Missouri Mastery and Achievement Test, or MMAT, which checks academic knowledge in six core subject areas through a series of multiple choice questions. The tests are scored by a machine and do not require students to demonstrate how they get their answers.

The MMAT is being phased out over the next two years, however, in favor of the more challenging Missouri Assessment Program, or MAP test. The MAP assessment reduces multiple choice questions to a mere one-third of the test, opting instead to include fill-in-the-blank and short answer questions that require students to show their work. The tests will be individually graded by trained scorers, and points will be given based on how well students demonstrate their knowledge.

The adoption in 1993 of the Show Me Standards, 73 academic standards outlining what students should know and be able to do before graduation, mandated the changeover to a performance-based testing format.

Only the math portion of the MAP test is mandatory this year, although many schools are voluntarily trying the language arts assessment. That test becomes mandatory next year.

"The new assessments are not as simple as filling in 'A,' 'B,' or 'C' on the answer sheet, said Robert Bartman, Missouri commissioner of education. "Students must fill in the blanks, explain their answers and show their thinking processes. It's going to be a whole new ball game compared to the traditional style of standardized tests."

Area school administrators said the new testing style requires an entirely different approach to teaching and testing. Teachers have to emphasize the process more than the answer, they said, and students have to make sure they know how to apply concepts to real-life situations. Most school districts have provided in-service training to help teachers prepare for the performance-based MAP test.

"We already gave the MAP once, so teachers and students have a little bit of familiarity with it," said Leopold Superintendent Robert Turner. "I think all of us teach toward the test somewhat."

Leopold, Jackson and Perryville school districts are offering both the MMAT and MAP this year to make sure they assess students in all subjects and grade levels. Administrators said they continued the test along with the required MAP math test because they don't want to leave gaps in their assessments.

Many administrators said they are considering dropping the MMAT during the 1998-99 school year.

"Because performance assessments take so much time, we sure don't want to give those people any other type of test we don't have a major purpose for," said Dr. Howard Jones, Jackson schools superintendent. "We're still giving the MMAT to cover students in other subjects and other grade levels because we'd like to know how students in grades other than fourth, eighth and 10th are doing in math."

Cape Girardeau School District has a faculty committee that makes recommendations about what assessments the district should give. Assistant superintendent David Giles said the committee recommended the district keep giving the MMAT through the next school year. However, after 1999, the district probably only will give the MAP assessment, he said.

"This year the MAP is required in math only, and we wanted to cover other subjects," said Giles. "We'll still employ the MMAT next year to fill in the gaps, then that may be the swan song for the MMAT."

Scott City Superintendent Roger Tatum said his district opted not to take the MMAT this year. Because students at various levels are taking both the math and language arts portions of the MAP, it seemed to be important to focus on teaching styles that prepared students for this type of test, he said.

"We just didn't think it was necessary because of the changeover," he said. "We're focusing our efforts on getting our students prepared for the MAP testing style."

Administrators said they weren't sure what to expect regarding MAP performance levels from students. The problem with new tests is there is no bar to measure people by, they said. They projected it would take several years before there was enough data to show where students actually should be performing on the MAP.

We try to adjust our curriculum to address the issues the test will measure," said Jones. "The water is still cloudy as to what those issues are and what that level of expectation is."

Turner agreed but said the MAP test is the assessment of the future. Laws and standards change, he said, and school districts must be prepared to change with them.

Said Turner: "It is a movement, and we're going with it."