McAllen Independent School District 8 th Grade Parent Information Presentation October 2014

McAllen Independent School District 8 th Grade Parent Information Presentation October 2014

HELPING INCREASE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS Three integrated assessments one powerful tool The College Board s College and Career Readiness Pathway is a series of integrated diagnostic assessments that measures college and career readiness from the eighth through the 12th grades

THE FIRST STEP ON THE COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS PATHWAY ReadiStep is an assessment for eighth graders, providing early feedback to help students identify the skills they need to be college and career ready ReadiStep is an assessment that measures the knowledge and skills students need to be on track for success in high school, college, and beyond ReadiStep helps identify the skills students need to develop and makes it possible for school administrators and parents to initiate early interventions at critical points in students school careers

READISTEP COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS BENCHMARK FOR 8 TH GRADE CRITICAL READING MATHEMATICS WRITING READISTEP COMPOSITE 8 TH GRADE READISTEP 3.8 3.7 3.8 11.8

AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR PARENTS The ReadiStep assessment will help your child prepare for the future. Through the ReadiStep assessment, you and your child will learn which skills he or she needs to work on and what types of classes to take in high school. In addition, the ReadiStep assessment will identify areas where your child excels and may want to consider taking higher-level courses, as well as areas he or she should focus on to improve academically

8 TH GRADE McAllen ISD Middle Schools will test on: Wednesday October 29, 2014 Students must be in attendance on that day. Students should arrive early to school. Three multiple choice sections: reading, writing and math Section Timing Number of Questions Critical Reading 40 Minutes 45 Questions Writing Skills 40 Minutes 50 Questions Mathematics 40 Minutes (20 calculator, 20 non-calculator) Total 120 Minutes 131 Questions 36 Questions (18 calculator, 18 non-calculator)

Skill Categories Measured Critical Reading Determining the Meaning of Words Author s Craft Reasoning & Inference Organization & Ideas Mathematics Content Skills Number & Operations Algebra & Functions Geometry & Measurement Data, Statistics & Probability Writing Grammatical Relationships between Words Words & Phrases Used to Modify or Compare Phrases & Clauses Correctly Formed Sentences Relationships of Sentences & Paragraphs Process Skills Problem Solving Representation Reasoning Connections Communication

PREP FOR THE TEST ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS THERE IS NO PENALTY FOR GUESSING WORK AT A STEADY PACE DO SCRATCH WORK IN THE TEST BOOK READ ALL ANSWER CHOICES CAREFULLY

Reports and tools WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE TEST

STUDENT SCORE REPORT STUDENTS RECEIVE A Score report showing performance relative to other students Online College and career planning tools Tools to improve your skills

INCREASING COLLEGE READINESS ReadiStep scores are similar to scores on the PSAT/NMSQT and SAT For example, a score of 3.4 is similar to a score of 34 on PSAT/NMSQT or a score of 340 on SAT A score of 3.4 on ReadiStep does not mean a student will get a score of 34 on PSAT/NMSQT or 340 on SAT Students are expected to improve over time and increase their scores PARENTS, STUDENTS AND SCHOOLS MUST CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON TARGET SCORES FOR COLLEGE ADMISSIONS. Given normal levels of academic growth, PSAT Scores may be above or below the ranges.

Conversion Chart Readistep to SAT CRITICAL READING MATHEMATICS WRITING COMPOSITE 8 TH GRADE READISTEP COLLEGE READINESS PSAT/NMSQT CONVERSTION 3.8 3.7 3.8 11.8* *computed independently of individual section scores 38 37 38 118 SAT CONVERSION 380 370 380 1180 SAT Goal to Readistep SAT TARGET FOR UT AUSTIN ADMISSIONS 2014 PSAT/NMSQT CONVERSION READISTEP TARGET SCORE CRITICAL READING MATHEMATICS WRITING COMPOSITE 617 617 616 1850 62 62 62 186 6.2 6.2 6.2

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ReadiStep helps you take the next step toward college readiness by providing: Skills Insight Tool Provides insight into your skill levels and suggestions for improvement MyRoad Helps you explore majors and careers using a free online planning tool. Access code on back of score report. Additional information available at http://readistep.collegeboard.org/student-parents

Skills Insight Helps students, parents and educators gain insight into student skills Details the link between scores and skills Sample questions illustrating each skill Suggestions for improvement Versions for educators and students/parents

MyRoad: Exploring Colleges and Careers Free Access for ReadiStep Takers Online tool lets students: Take a personality quiz Understand their strengths and interests Plan for high school and college Learn about majors and careers that fit their interests Explore colleges by location, majors, costs

https://myroad.collegeboard.com/my road/navigator.jsp