ISTEP+ IREAD3 February 13, 2013 Suncrest Elementary

Tonight’s Agenda Important ISTEP and IREAD3 Information State Mandates Concerning Testing ISTEP/IREAD3 Test Prep How Parents Can Help

ISTEP+ The purpose of the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress Plus (ISTEP+) program is to measure student achievement in the subject areas of English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science (Grades 4 and 6), and Social Studies (Grades 5 and 7). In particular, ISTEP+ reports student achievement levels according to the Indiana Academic Standards that were adopted in November 2000 by the Indiana State Board of Education. An Applied Skills Assessment and a Multiple-Choice Assessment, which are required components of the ISTEP+ program, are used to measure these standards.

ISTEP + Information Parents Need to Know Administered to all 3-5 grade students- Language Arts/Math –Fourth Grade- Science –Fifth Grade- Social Studies Consists of two major components- Applied Skills and Multiple Choice On-Line Multiple Choice Assessment What Scores Mean for Students and Teachers Cut Scores

ISTEP+ Testing Window WINDOWDATESMETHOD Applied Skills March 4-13Pen and Pencil Multiple Choice April 29-May 10 On-Line

Parents’ Request to Rescore Requesting a Rescore of a Student’s Test According to IC , ―A student’s parent or guardian may request a rescoring of a student’s responses to a test, including a student’s essay. ‖ A parent may request to have an open-ended item rescored if he or she has evidence of incorrect scoring. The rubrics are distributed with the Applied Skills Images and are found in the Released Items and Scoring Notes. A rescore should not be requested solely based on the student’s scale score. It should be stressed that the scores obtained through rescoring will be final. Parents should also be aware that scores resulting from the rescore process are unlikely to be more than a few points different from the original score, if changed at all. Rescores must be requested within the published rescore window.

IREAD3 The purpose of the Indiana Reading Evaluation And Determination (IREAD-3) assessment is to measure foundational reading standards through grade three. Based on the Indiana Academic Standards, IREAD-3 is a summative assessment that was developed in accordance with PL 109 which "requires the evaluation of reading skills for students who are in grade three beginning in the Spring of 2012 to ensure that all students can read proficiently before moving on to grade four."

IREAD3 Information Parents Need to Know Multiple Choice assessment –Word recognition, fluency, vocabulary development –Comprehension and analysis of nonfiction and informational text –Comprehension and analysis of literary text Three Test Sessions approximately 30 minutes each Three-Day Assessment Window- March Summative, Snapshot of Students’ Reading Abilities Testing taking place On-Line

IREAD3 Information Parents Need to Know Students Who Do Not Pass IREAD-3 Students who do not pass IREAD-3 in the spring have an opportunity to retest in the summer. Students who do not pass the spring or summer administrations of IREAD-3 will continue to receive instruction in Grade 3 Reading, will be officially reported as a third grader, and will fully participate in the Grade 3 ISTEP+ assessment. It is the responsibility of the local school to design a program that meets the learning needs of students. Retention, which is identified as a last resort in PL 109, requires schools to provide students who do not pass IREAD-3 with Grade 3 reading/literacy instruction. Literacy instruction may also include other content areas, such as science and social studies. Methods of organizing students for differentiated instruction are determined locally. Retention is not required for students who are eligible for a Good Cause Exemption.

SUNCREST TEST PREP THE 42-DAY PLAN

How Parents Can Help at Home Discuss students questions and concerns about the testing process; Ensure that students get a good night’s rest, have breakfast, and are at school on time each day; Read, Read, Read with your child; Advocate for your student when the score are released.

RESOURCES Office of Student Assessment menthttp:// ment ISTEP+ Grades ment/istep-grades-3-8http:// ment/istep-grades-3-8 IREAD ment/ireadhttp:// ment/iread