WELCOME EQAO PARENT INFORMATION NIGHT Thursday February 26, 2015

Agenda 6:30 - 7:00 PM Presentation from Staff  Welcome – Ms. Dirks  EQAO Overview – Mr. Soultanidis and Ms. Fernandez  French Immersion Students – Mme. Schiller  Preparing Students for EQAO – Ms. Rai, Mrs. Gordon and Ms. Fernandez  The EQAO Environment – Mme. Johnson  Exemplars – Mrs. van Beek  Reporting to Parents – Mr. Soultanidis  How Parents Can Help – Ms. Fernandez, Ms. Rai and Mme. Johnson 7:00 - 7:30 PM Time to try it for Parents (10 minutes each)  Math – Ms. Rai and Mrs. van Beek  Writing – Mme. Johnson and Ms. Fernandez  Reading – Mme. Schiller and Mrs. Gordon

EQAO Overview – Mr. Soultanidis Education Quality and Accountability Office Introduced in 1996  EQAO Act states that all students in public schools must participate  Grades 3, 6, 9 (Numeracy), and 10 (Literacy) Way to assess Ontario’s Education System  Help Boards and Schools Develop Improvement Plans Differ from Classroom Assessments and Tests in Purpose and Delivery

EQAO at Sheridan Park Public School Overview- Ms. Fernandez  Reading, Writing and Mathematics Based on Ontario Curriculum  Two Week Period between May 25-June 5, 2015  There are 6 test sections which take approximately an hour to complete. Students are given additional time if necessary as long as it is part of one continuous session.

French Immersion Students -Mme Schiller Grade 3 and 6 Students complete EQAO assessment in English For French Immersion students, they will stay with their homeroom teachers during the assessment

Classroom Preparation for EQAO - Ms. Rai The following areas will be covered prior to the assessment period: Terms and Vocabulary CompareDefineDescribeExplainIdentifyJustify ListPredict Test taking strategies Open Response Multiple Choice

Classroom Preparation for EQAO Reading – Mrs. Gordon Reading Supporting Details Drawing Conclusions Making Inferences Elements of a Story Variety of Texts Non-Fiction Texts

Classroom Preparation for EQAO Writing – Mme. Schiller Writing Organization of ideas ReasoningCommunication Application of language conventions

Classroom Preparation for EQAO Mathematics – Ms. Fernandez Math Problem Solving Understanding of Concepts Application of mathematics procedures Communication

EQAO Atmosphere - Mme. Johnson Desks arranged in single rows Students may ask teacher to read questions on math and writing assessments ONLY Extra Help such as Explaining, defining, or providing of examples or prompting review of responses is not available Pencil, highlighter, and eraser are provided for students Ensure a comfortable climate for working and learning is in place

EQAO Environment – Mme. Johnson Other learning activities (e.g. DPA, Music, Gym) are incorporated into the day to balance the needs of the young learner Washroom/drink breaks as necessary Interruptions are kept to a minimum

Exemplars – Mrs. van Beek

Explain why Canada’s dollar coins are called “loonies” and “toonies.” Use details from the text and your own ideas to support your answer. CodeDescriptor B  Blank: nothing written or drawn in response to the question I  Illegible: cannot be read; completely crossed out/erased; not written in English  Irrelevant content: does not attempt assigned question (e.g., comment on the task, drawings, “?”, “!”, “I don’t know”)  Off topic: no relationship of written work to the question 10Response attempts to explain why Canada’s dollar coins are called “loonies” and “toonies” (eg. Describes one of the coins)  Answers an aspect of the question (eg. They are one dollar and two dollar coins OR  Does not refer to the reading selection OR  Provides inaccurate support 20Response indicates a partial understanding of why Canada’s dollar coins are called “loonies” and “toonies” Response provides:  Irrelevant support from the reading selection OR  Vague support from the reading selection OR  Limited support The response requires the reader to make some connections between the reason what it is intended to prove. 30Response indicates an understanding of why Canada’s dollar coins are called “loonies” and “toonies”. Response includes:  Some accurate and relevant support and  Some vague and underdeveloped support The response requires the readers to make some connections between the reason and what it is intended to prove 40Response indicates an understanding of why Canada’s dollar coins are called “loonies” and “toonies” and provides specific and relevant support to explain why they are called “loonies” and “toonies”. Grade 3 Reading: Short Response

A Canadian Television station shows 16 minutes of commercials every hour between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. every day. How many minutes of commercials are there on the station between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. in 365 days? Show your work. CodeDescriptor B  Blank: nothing written or drawn in response to the question I  Illegible: cannot be read; completely crossed out/erased; not written in English  Irrelevant content: does not attempt assigned question (e.g., comment on the task, drawings, “?”, “!”, “I don’t know”)  Off topic: no relationship of written work to the question 10Application of knowledge and skills to determine the number of minutes of commercials on television between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. in 365 days shows limited effectiveness due to  misunderstanding of concepts  incorrect selection or misuse of procedures 20Application of knowledge and skills to determine the number of minutes of commercials on television between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. in 365 days shows some effectiveness due to  partial understanding of the concepts  errors and/or omissions in the application of the procedures 30Application of knowledge and skills to determine the number of minutes of commercials on television between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. in 365 days shows considerable effectiveness due to  an understanding of most of the concepts  minor errors and/or omissions in the application of the procedures 40Application of knowledge and skills to determine the number of minutes of commercials on television between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. in 365 days shows a high degree of effectiveness due to  a thorough understanding of the concepts  an accurate application of the procedures (any minor errors and/or omissions do not detract from the demonstration of a thorough understanding) Grade 6 Mathematics: Open Response

Reporting to Parents (Primary Division) – Mr. Soultanidis

How can I support my child? - Ms. Fernandez Be actively involved in your child’s daily learning Read everyday and discuss what they are reading Have involved conversations with your child. Challenge them with questions!

Supporting your child: Before Testing – Ms. Rai EQAO online activities:  Links on the Sheridan Park School Site Prodigy Math Site Engaging workbooks easily obtained:  Ontario Curriculum workbooks  Dollar Store activity books Visit the EQAO website together

Supporting your child: EQAO’s Website – Ms. Rai Parent Section –Parent’s Guide (Multilingual)Parent’s Guide –‘Try It Yourself’ Tests (past tests) –Sample questions with graded responses

Supporting your child: During Testing – Mme. Johnson Reduce anxieties / Relax the evening before Physical activities after school Regular routines:  Healthy breakfast and snacks  A good nights’ rest  Arrive on time

Time to Try It! Now it’s your turn to try some sample questions! 7:00-7:30 PM In the Gym: Math (in gym) – Ms. Rai and Mrs. Van Beek In the Library: Writing – Mme. Johnson and Ms. Fernandez Reading – Mme Schiller, Mrs. Gordon, Mme. Hassan