Scotland Elementary School 2015-2016 PSSA information “Today I will improve”

Testing Dates: English Language Arts (Grades 3, 4, and 5): April 11 –April 14 Math(Grades 3, 4, and 5): April 19-21 Science (4th Grade Only): April 27-28

What tests will my child take? 3th grade: ELA and Math 4th grade: ELA, Math, and Science 5th grade: ELA and Math Note- this year is the first that ELA and Math have their own separate weeks.

New policies from the state No electronic devices. Up to a $30,000 fine for electronic device violations Ethical agreement signature for students Reading and Writing are combined in the ELA section The entire test is aligned to the PA Common Core Note: Many Hallway Bulletin Boards will be covered. Note: Students received a presentation on rules.

Test taking tips for our students Get a good nights sleep Eat a breakfast Get to school on time Manage your time and relax Do your best, and succeed

ELA How can I help? READ, READ, READ! Talk about what they are reading. Ask them to cite evidence from the text to support their reasoning. Talk about what you are reading. Let your child see that you value reading. Talk about how you use reading and writing in your everyday life including your job. Reinforce that conventions matter in everything you write. Remind them to use their editing and revising strategies in everything they write. Encourage them to reread their writing to make sure it makes sense. If a word doesn’t “look right”, try another spelling. Encourage them to continue to try and read more challenging texts. Have plenty of books available at home and encourage them to read! Remind them to create an outline or organizer for every essay they write in order to organize their ideas and plan for writing. Have them cite page numbers and paragraphs to support their thinking in their responses.

MATH How can I help? Talk about math. Let your child see that you value math. Talk about how you use math in your everyday life including your job. Check that your child is doing his/her homework every night. Encourage them to explain a problem off of their homework. Do the steps as your student explains to prove the importance of being precise. Ask them to explain their work when completing word problems using mathematical vocabulary. What key words in the problem helped them identify the operation? Did they clearly and concisely show their work so that you could follow the steps they completed to solve the problem? If not, have them redo this. Did they include a label? Require your student to do fact fluency practice at least five minutes each night. Flashcards, rolling dice, games, and websites (Mr. Hull uses Reflex Math) are helpful.

What do the scores mean? How our school compares to the rest of the state http://paschoolperformance.org/Profile/5179 How your child performs compared to the rest of the states students. Test results will be part of your child’s personal records. They have been used as a variable in course placements. Future exams, such as state Keystones, require students to pass in order to graduate. This is preparing them for that high stakes test.