1. PSSA INFORMATIONAL EVENING FERDERBAR AND LOWER SOUTH ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS FEBRUARY 25, 2014

2. GOALS FOR TONIGHT Review PSSA testing information Share best practices and effective instruction to use at home for the upcoming PSSA

3. PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMIC STANDARDS  Define what each student should know and do in a core set of subjects  Provide consistent targets for students, teachers, and districts  Allow districts to measure student achievement

4. PSSA DATES Math/Reading: March 25-April 3, grades 3-5. Writing, April 8-10, grade 5. Science, April 29-30, grade 4.

5. PSSA READING ASSESSMENT 2014

6. GRADE 3  Three sessions  Approximately 40-70 minutes each  Target Passage Types for Common Passages - Two Stories - One Poem - One Informational - One Autobiography/Biography or one Practical/How-to/Advertisement  56 multiple-choice items (40 common items)  5 open-ended items: 3 short answer (2 common) and 2 evidence – based selected-responses (EBSR).  Students write ALL answers in test booklet

7. GRADES 4 & 5  Three sessions  Approximately 45-85 minutes each  Target Passage Types (mix varies by grade) - Story - Poem - Informational - Autobiography/Biography - Practical/How-to/Advertisement - Essay/Editorial (grade 5)  56 Multiple-choice items (40 common items)  7 Open-ended items: 4 short answer (all common items), 2 evidence- based selected responses, and 1 text dependent analysis.  Students write answers in answer booklet

8. READING STRATEGIES

9. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS Both Reading and Math tests use multiple choice questions in the PSSA test  Share strategies for answering these questions Embed multiple choice question structure in your reading practice  Have students learn how to “eliminate” choices in the questions Embed multiple choice formats in math practice  “Show What you Know and why you did that”

10. STRATEGIES Read the open stem with each of the answers individually. Cross out all the answers you know are wrong. Go back into the story and prove your answer. Try thinking of the answer before reading your choices. Find the correct answer in the passage and underline it. Go back into the text and find the statement or emphasized word. Use context clues. Highlight the key words in the question or text. Read all the answer choices and pick the one that best fits the question. Reread the sentence with the word or phrase choice in it.

11. VARIATIONS Emphasis of a certain word or phrase  Bold type  “in quotation marks”  Italics  Underlined

12.  Read the question twice  Decide on length of response  Create a brief outline for a lengthy response  Answer only the question and all parts of the question  Use pictures or diagrams as needed to help explain your response  Reread your completed response and make needed corrections Essay Questions

13. HANDOUTS 1.Reading Comprehension Strategies 2.Sample Open-Ended Prompts 3.T-Chart

14. SAMPLE PROBLEM

15. HANDOUTS Philharmonic Express 1.Reading Passage 2.Sample Multiple Choice Questions 3.Open Ended Response

16. PSSA Math Assessment 2014

17. MATH 2014 Five Reporting Categories 1. Numbers and Operations 2. Measurement 3. Geometry 4. Algebra 5. Data Analysis

18. MATH 2014  Student score comes from: o - 60 multiple choice questions o - Three open-ended questions  Students take: o - 72 multiple choice in grades 3 - 5 o - Four open-ended questions  All grades will alternate subject areas with Math coming first.

19. OPEN-ENDED ITEMS Examples of how open-ended items might be phrased: - Show or explain all your work. - Show all your work. Explain why you did each step. - Explain why [something is true or false] - Describe how [doing something affects something else; to find something, etc.] Some notes about open-ended items: - Guess and Check is a valid method but at least two incorrect guesses must be shown to receive full credit. - Not all open-ended items require a “why.”

20. Steps for solving open-ended questions –Read the entire question – twice –What does the question ask you to do? Highlight clue words (explain, show your work) –Perform calculations –Check for reasonableness –Explain the WHY in your answer using words like “because, to show, to find,” etc. –Use math vocabulary terms in your answer

21. MATH 2014  Testing time is approximately 150-180 minutes for Math.  Testing in Grades 3 - 5. Grade 3:  CANNOT use calculators  Answers marked in test booklet Grade 4 and 5:  Calculators ARE permitted on all but the beginning few items.*

22. MATH 2014  Rulers and protractors will be provided where needed (grades 3 and 4 respectively). Students must use the rulers and protractors provided for the PSSA.  Rulers will be used in grade 3 only and will be scaled to the ⅛ inch and millimeter. Students will be required to measure to the ¼ inch and centimeter.  Protractors will be used at grade 4 only.

23. SAMPLE PROBLEM

24. HANDOUTS 1.Sample Multiple Choice Questions 2.Sample Open Ended Response

25. PSSA Writing Assessment 2014

26. WRITING 2014  Alignment: PA Academic Standards 1.4 & 1.5  All Students in Grades 5  Multiple-Choice: measure conventions  Writing Prompts: measure composition skills and conventions  Mode-specific Scoring Guidelines for composition  Conventions scored separately

27. 2014 WRITING TEST FORMAT  3 sections (may administer sections 1 & 2 in same session)  Responses marked/written in test booklet  Scratch paper for pre-writing should be provided  2 lined pages for each prompt response

28. SAMPLE PROBLEM

29. HANDOUTS 1.Sample Writing Prompt

30. PSSA Science Assessment 2014

31. PSSA SCIENCE 2014  Grade 4  58 Multiple Choice items (scored)  Five open-ended items (two points each)  Four Reporting Categories The Nature of Science Biological Sciences Physical Sciences Earth and Space Sciences

32. SAMPLE PROBLEM

33. HANDOUTS 1.Sample Multiple Choice Questions 2.Sample Open Ended Response

34. FOUNDATIONS FOR SUCCESS AT HOME

35. PRACTICE PACKETS PIZZA PARTY!

36. Questions