1. Educational Solutions An Overview of FCAT Writing+ Grades 3 - 10

2. Educational Solutions for Florida Teachers Kathy Lancaster, Ph.D. 2005 Volume 1: An Overview of FCAT Writing+ Grades 3-10

3. Educational Solutions Technical assistance for teaching and learning across the curriculum can result in positive measurable outcomes.

4. Educational Solutions FCAT Writing+ is a performance assessment of Florida students compositional skills and their ability to apply knowledge of standard written conventions of the English language.

5. A previous edition of the test, FCAT Writing, was comprised of a writing task that required students to develop a composition using the writing process. FCAT Writing+ retains the composition portion of the previous version and adds a multiple choice component to assess student levels of understanding of focus, organization, support, and conventions. Educational Solutions

6. Consists of a performance task (demand writing) and multiple choice items, each portion weighed equally for a combined score 2007-2008 - Grade 10* students receive achievement level scores that count for graduation 2010 - First graduating class* with FCAT Writing+ Passing Requirement *designates first class to meet FCAT Writing+ graduation requirement FCAT Writing+

7. Educational Solutions 3 grade levels tested - 4 th, 8 th, and 10 th FCAT Writing+

8. Educational Solutions 2 types of writing prompts at each grade level FCAT Writing+ 4th – narrative or expository prompts 8th – persuasive or expository prompts 10th – persuasive or expository prompts Multiple choice items at each grade level

9. Educational Solutions Multiple choice items are based on Webbs Depth of Knowledge Model of Cognitive Classification. Cognitive complexity assumes student familiarity with the task and therefore focuses on the thinking demand posed by the item, not the students demonstration of mastery.

10. 3 Cognitive Complexity Levels for FCAT Writing+ Low Complexity Items – Recall Moderate Complexity Items – Basic Reasoning High Complexity Items – Extended Reasoning Educational Solutions

11. Low Complexity Items – Recall Examples: categorizing information inserting end punctuation adding an –s to change from the singular to the plural form

12. Educational Solutions Based on the information in Lisas writing plan, under which heading below should Lisa add little sister? Low Complexity - Example A. Where I went B. What I did C. What I learned D. Who went with me Grade 4

13. Educational Solutions Moderate Complexity Items – Basic Reasoning Examples: determining the relevance, placement, or quality of detail applying the purpose for writing to the task applying knowledge of conventions (beyond recall)

14. Moderate Complexity - Example Which sentence below helps support the topic of the fifth paragraph? A. I learned soccer rules two years ago. B. Moving to another city is probably fun. C. Saturday is my favorite day of the week. D. We were proud because we worked as a team. Grade 4 Educational Solutions

15. High Complexity Items – Extended Reasoning Examples: evaluating the effectiveness of a written response according to audience and purpose developing a composition using the writing process analyzing and applying complex conventions

16. High Complexity - Example Writing Situation: Everyone has done something that he or she will remember. Directions for Writing: Think about a time you did something that you will always remember. Now write a story about the time you did something that you will always remember. Grade 4 Educational Solutions

17. Writing Benchmarks Tested - Grade 4 LA.B.1.2.1 The student prepares for writing by recording thoughts, focusing on a central idea, grouping related ideas, and identifying the purpose for writing. LA.B.1.2.2 The student drafts and revises writing in cursive that focuses on the topic; has a logical organizational pattern.... LA.B.1.2.3 The student produces final documents that have been edited for [conventions]....

18. Educational Solutions Writing Benchmarks Tested - Grade 8 LA.B.1.3.1 The student organizes information before writing according to the type and purpose of writing. LA.B.1.3.2 The student drafts and revises writing that is focused, purposeful, and reflects insight into the writing situation.... LA.B.1.3.3 The student produces final documents that have been edited for [conventions]....

19. Educational Solutions Writing Benchmarks Tested – Grade 10 LA.B.1.4.1 The student will select and use appropriate prewriting strategies, such as brainstorming, graphic organizers, and outlining. LA.B.1.4.2 The student will draft and revise writing that is focused, purposeful, and reflects insight into the writing situation.... LA.B.1.4.3 The student will produce final documents that have been edited for [conventions]....

20. Helping students prepare for FCAT Writing+ Educational Solutions Strategies for Teachers

21. Educational Solutions Examine the benchmarks in view of the tested components of focus, organization, support, and conventions Teach basic writing conventions, Teach students to use a variety of writing plans/ prewriting structures, and Teach students to write purposefully, making informed decisions about structure, content, word choice, and sentence structure.

22. Educational Solutions Use mini-lessons to emphasize the writers craft such as leads and conclusions; showing, not telling; anecdotal details; audience awareness; sentence combining; transitions. Teach simple transitions such as first, finally, on the other hand. Then teach the use of more sophisticated transitions such as while some people support this view, others disagree.

23. Educational Solutions Teach writing as a process, stressing the revision and editing stages. Share examples of student writing from each of the score points and ask students to give suggestions for improving the essay. Familiarize students with the tasks involved in the testing situations; provide time to rehearse test conditions.

24. And then, after the test... Educational Solutions

25. Celebrate with your students! Educational Solutions

26. The information presented here meets with Florida DOE Test Development Center security regulations. Item specifications will be available for online review in December 2005.

27. Educational Solutions Credits Photography Kathy Lancaster Models Brenda ArmstrongCorey Bibb Jason BibbTony Bryant Jonnie LancasterTommy Lancaster Corey McKinney Maddie Richardson Mallory Richardson Morgan Richardson Educational Solutions ~ Kathy Lancaster, Ph.D. ~ KathyLancaster.com.