About Mathematics Diagnostic Testing Project

 

The CSU/UC Mathematics Diagnostic Testing Project (MDTP) was jointly formed and supported by California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC) in 1977.  The purpose of MDTP is to promote and support student readiness and success in college mathematics courses.  MDTP achieves its purpose by developing diagnostic assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and supplying these tools to secondary schools in California free of charge. 

 

MDTP tests are purposefully developed and validated by   MDTP workgroup members, including faculty from CSU, UC, community colleges, and secondary schools. An essential element of the test-development process is an extensive statistical review to ensure that each item tests appropriate knowledge and skill, is reasonably predictive for students from all skill levels, and that the difficulty of the items are not too widespread.

 

Since 1982, MDTP has offered its tests and scoring services to California secondary schools   free of charge,   and MDTP now offers free testing through our online testing platforms. Individual diagnostic reports are provided for students, and detailed item analyses and summary reports are provided for teachers. The student reports indicate areas in which students did well and those areas in which the test results suggest a need for further study in order to be prepared for future coursework. The summary reports have been used by teachers to help identify areas of the curriculum that seem to be working well and other areas or topics where changes may be needed.  MDTP grade-level and course-level diagnostic assessments are not comprehensive and should not be used as a final or unit exam.

 

University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) support MDTP's workgroup and its test-development activities.   The California Academic Partnership Program (CAPP)  provides funding that supports service and outreach to precollegiate schools by universities and colleges in California.

 

All CSU/UC MDTP tests are copyrighted, and their content may not be used in other test forms. MDTP materials are provided to schools with the understanding that the tests will be kept secure and all test administrations will be scored by MDTP regional offices or MDTP licensed vendors. All licensed vendors are required to submit scoring data to MDTP to enable the project to send printed reports directly to students' teachers.