FSA ELA Writi ng NEPTUNE MIDDLE SCHOOL Excellence for All…Whatever it Takes! Spring 2016

Q. What are the Florida Standards and Florida Standards Assessments? The Florida Standards in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics were approved by the Florida State Board of Education (SBOE) in February 2014 and were fully implemented in grades K–12 in the 2014–2015 school year. All Florida schools teach the Florida Standards. The Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) provide parents and families, teachers, policy makers, and the general public with information regarding how well students are learning the Florida Standards.

Q. When will my student take the FSA ELA Writing assessment? GRADE 6GRADE 7GRADE 8 Tuesday, March 1, 2016 Tuesday, March 1, 2016 Monday, February 29, Wednesday, March 2, 2016 Neptune Middle School FSA ELA Testing Schedule

Q. How long is the FSA ELA Writing assessment? All FSA ELA Writing assessments are administered in one 120-minute test session.

Q. Is the assessment administered on the computer? Also, students whose individual education plans (IEPs) or Section 504 plans indicate a need for paper-based format will be provided a paper test. GRADE 6GRADE 7GRADE 8 Paper-based Computer-based

A planning sheet will be provided to students for paper-based and online administrations. The back of the planning sheet will contain the Testing Rules Acknowledgment section, which students will be required to sign. Students are allowed to write on both the front and back pages, and the writing on the planning sheet will not be scored. FSA ELA Writing Planning Sheet

For students in grades 6-8 who will be administered the paper-based FSA ELA Writing component, the response pages template will appear in this format and include the three lined pages allowed. Within the Test and Answer Book, the text sets that students will read and the prompt to which students will respond appear before the lined pages. FSA ELA Writing Response Pages Students in grade 8 who are administered the FSA ELA Writing component online will have unlimited space to type their response.

Q. Are practice FSA ELA Writing tests available for students? YES!! The purpose of the practice test materials is to orient teachers and students to the types of passages and prompts on FSA tests. Each spring, students in grades 6-8 are administered one text-based writing prompt for the FSA English Language Arts test. Students will respond to either an informative/explanatory prompt or to an argumentation prompt.

FSA ELA Writing Practice Test for COMPUTER-BASED Tests The purpose of the practice test is for students to become familiar with the computer-based testing system, functionality, and item types. Practice Tests available at fsassessments.org Grade 8 students can practice using this resource.

FSA ELA Writing Practice Tests for PAPER-BASED Tests Practice Tests available at fsassessments.org Grade 6 and Grade 7 students can practice using this resource.

Q. How will my child’s test be scored? Rubrics describe how points will be given within each domain. Rubrics are available at fsassessments.org.

Q. How can I support my child? You can promote student success by staying involved in your child’s education, offering positive support and feedback, and encouraging your child to relax and do his or her very best. Stay connected with your child’s school and teachers and take advantage of online resources, such as school websites and portals.