A Parent s Guide to the South Carolina Middle School State Assessment System for Northwoods Middle School

Transcription

1 A Parent s Guide to the South Carolina Middle School State Assessment System for Northwoods Middle School 1

2 What Tests Will My Child Take? Students in Grades 6-8 will take the ACT Aspire Assessment in Spring 2015 as part of the new South Carolina Assessment System. Students in Grades 6-8 will also take the traditional Assessments for Science and Social Studies. 2

3 What Does ACT Aspire Do? Measures student growth towards college and career readiness in Grades 3-10; will be using Grades 3-8 tests. Identifies early learning gaps to help ALL students graduate from high school ready for college and career 3 opportunities. 3

4 What Subjects and Grades Are Assessed? ACT Aspire Testing Grades 6-8 Writing English Reading Math Science Science and Social Studies Testing Grades 6-8 Social Studies Science 4

5 What Will be Assessed? ACT Aspire Testing Grades 6-8 Writing Ideas and Analysis Development and Support Organization Language Usage and Conventions English Conventions Knowledge of Language Production of Writing Reading Key Ideas and Details Craft and Structure Integration of Knowledge and Ideas Progress with Text Complexity Math Foundational Number System Modeling Statistics and Probability Geometry Expressions/ Equations. Grades 6-7: Ratios and Proportions Science Interpreting Data Scientific Investigation Evaluation of Models (inferences and experimental results) 5

6 What Will be Assessed? Testing for Science and Social Studies Grades 6-8 Social Studies Year-long course of study based on State Curriculum Standards for Social Studies Science Year-long course of study based on State Curriculum Standards for Science 6

7 How Many Questions Are On the Tests? Depending on the grade level and subject area, most assessments have between items. Writing English Reading Math Science and Social Studies All grade levels are required to write an essay or story. Writing 7

8 What Types of Writing Are Required? Grade 6 Reflective Narrative (tell a story) Example: Tell about a time you were faced with a challenge and how you overcame it. Grade 7 Analytical Expository (explain something) Example: Write and essay to explain the qualities of a good citizen of your community. Grade 8 Persuasive/Argumentative (support an opinion) Example: Your principal wants to invite a special guest to speak about the value of hard work and is trying to decide between a scientist or and athlete. Write an essay to support which speaker you think would be best and why. Give details and examples to support your answer. 8

9 Can Students Use Calculators? ACT Aspire Math Test YES: Students in Grades 6-8 can use calculators on the ACT Aspire Math Test. Your student(s) has/have been using the TI-36 Pro calculator pictured here to prepare for the test. Calculators cannot be used on the ACT Aspire Science Test. Science Test NO: Students in Grades 6-8 cannot use calculators on the Science Test. 9

10 How Long Are the ACT Aspire Tests? Day Subject Test Length Day 1 Writing English 30 minutes 35 minutes Day 2 Reading 60 minutes Day 3 Mathematics 60 minutes (65 min. for Grade 8) Day 4 Science 55 minutes Note: Administration times begin after students have completed pre-test gridding and verbal instructions have been given. If two or more tests will be administered in a single sitting, students will 10 be given 5-10 minutes between each test to collect completed materials and go over verbal instructions for the next test. 10

11 What Is the Total Time of Testing? ACT Aspire Testing Grades 6 and 7 4 hours Grade 8 4 hours, 5 minutes Science and Social Studies Testing Grades 6, 7, and 8 These tests are not timed 11 11

12 What Will the Questions Look Like? Constructed-Response Tasks or Selected-Response Tasks 12

13 Who Takes Science/Social Studies? All Middle School Students Take I and SS Based on Science & Social Studies content standards These tests are not timed All questions are in multiple choice format Taken by ALL 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade students Each test has 45 to 50 questions Administered after ACT Aspire (May 7 and 8) 13

14 When Will Students Be Tested? Spring 2015 ACT Aspire Testing Window Writing and English Reading Mathematics Science April 28 (Tuesday) April 29 (Wednesday) April 30 (Thursday) May 1 (Friday) Make-Up Testing May 4-8 and May Spring th and 5th Grade Testing Window Science Social Studies May 7 (Thursday) May 8 (Friday) Make-Up Testing May

15 Can I See ACT Aspire Sample Test Items? 15

16 Can I See Sample Test Items? Science Social Studies programs-services/45/ ScienceTests.cfm programs-services/45/ SocialStudiesTests.cfm 16

17 Are There Testing Accommodations? Students With Disabilities ACT Aspire has accommodations for students with Individual Educational Plans (IEPs). English Language Learning (ELL) Students The First Year Exemption for ELL students applies to both and ACT Aspire. Where Can You Find More Information? Parents will receive specific information about testing accommodations from the school, and can also use the ACT Aspire Accessibility Guidebook on the ACT website: 17

18 How Will the State Rate Our School? State Testing Accountability for : Parents and schools will receive assessment results for each student, but scores will not be calculated into ratings for schools and districts until The state will then combine the current state and federal accountability systems into one effective South Carolina accountability system. 18

19 What Can Parents Do? The Night Before the Testing: Talk to your child about any concerns they may have. Your family should relax and enjoy the evening. Your child needs to go to bed on-time. Your child should not go to bed upset or angry. Your child should get a full night s sleep 19

20 What Can Parents Do? The Morning of the Test: Start your day as you normally do. Your child should eat a healthy breakfast. Allow your child to wear their favorite comfortable clothing. Encourage your child to have a positive attitude and do his/her best on the test. Be sure your child is at school and on-time every day during testing. If your child wears glasses, please make sure that he/she has them for testing. 20

21 Please visit the school s website for additional testing information. Click on the Parents tab 21