1. GRINNELL HIGH SCHOOL IOWA ASSESSMENT INFORMATION FRESHMEN, SOPHOMORE, JUNIOR SEMINARS April 1, 2015

2. WHAT ARE THE IOWA ASSESSMENTS? We used to call them the ITED or ITBS tests Series of 7 tests that help schools determine if students are making sufficient Academic Growth 1) Reading 2) Written Expression 3) Vocabulary 4) Science 5) Math Problem Solving 6) Math Computation 7) Social Studies

3. WHEN ARE WE TAKING THE IOWA ASSESSMENTS? All students in 9 th – 11 th Grades will be taking the tests next Wednesday, Thursday & Friday (April 8 th, 9 th, & 10 th ) in the morning Wednesday, April 8th Thursday, April 9thFriday, April 10th 8:30-10:00: 9 th -11 th Grade Testing * Seniors are not to be in the building until 10:00 Follow a modified two hour late start schedule starting at 10:00 for the rest of the day (40 minute classes) 8:30–10:00: 9 th -11 th Grade Testing Seniors are not to be in the building until 10:00 Follow a modified two hour late start schedule starting at 10:00 for the rest of the day (40 minute classes) 8:30–10:00: 9 th -11 th Grade Testing * Seniors are not to be in the building until 10:00 Follow a modified two hour late start schedule starting at 10:00 for the rest of the day (40 minute classes)

4. TESTING SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE Wednesday, April 8th: 1) Reading Comprehension (40 minutes) 2) Vocabulary (15 minutes) Thursday, April 9th: 1) Math Problem Solving (40 minutes) 2) Math Computation (20 minutes) Friday, January 31 st : 1) Science (40 minutes) 2) Try Out Test (20 minutes)

5. DID YOU GET THAT? 9 th, 10 th, & 11 th Graders will be testing in the morning (8:30-9:55) 1 st Period Starts Each Day @ 10:00 1 st Period 10:00-10:40 2 nd Period 10:45-11:25 3 rd Period 11:30-12:10 4 th Period (A Lunch 12:10-12:35) (B Lunch 12:40-1:05) (C Lunch 1:10-1:35) 5 th Period 1:40-2:20 6 th Period 2:25-3:05

6. DETAILS ABOUT TESTING DAYS Teachers will be available for E-Squared Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday mornings No Seniors will be in the building until 10:00 on Wednesday & Thursday & Friday ALL 9 th – 11 th Graders will report to their Seminars by 8:25 Be sure to have a good night’s sleep & breakfast both days Be sure to bring extra #2 pencils both days Come Ready to Do Your Absolute Best!

7. WHAT DO THE TESTS DO FOR YOU ? Grinnell High School Students have a strong tradition of doing very well on these tests (our kids do better than Pella, Newton, Norwalk, etc.) This year, your results will be sent to your parents with a predicted College Readiness Score This will help you and your parents see what areas you will need to work on before taking a college entrance exam The results of the tests also help GHS focus on what programs we need to improve as a school district

8. YOUR NSS SCORE HISTORY... (SINCE 6 TH GRADE) Here are your past NSS scores for Reading, Math, & Science since 6 th grade What direction are your trend lines going (if they are progressively going up, you are in good shape!) If you are new to GHS, you might not have a copy of your NSS scores to look at... (my apologies)

9. A LOOK A THE NUMBERS... We used to look at your percentile rank Which means if you got an 86 – that means you scored better than 86% of your peers You will still get a percentile rank score, but your NSS Score shows your growth … IT’S MORE IMPORTANT TO SHOW GROWTH! Mid to Above AverageAdvanced Level 9 th Grade NSS 10 th Grade NSS 11 th Grade NSS NSS of 260 – 310 NSS of 268 – 319 NSS of 275 – 328 NSS of 310 or Higher NSS of 319 or Higher NSS of 328 or Higher

10. THINK ABOUT A GOAL FOR YOURSELF... Take a look at your sheet of NSS Scores The average growth that a student makes from year to year is 8-15 points (depending on the subject area – Reading, Math, & Science) Think about what a reasonable amount of growth would be for you in each subject area... Take a minute to jot some goal numbers down on your sheet for yourself in each area Where can you improve this year and by how much? Challenge yourself to meet your goal!

11. ... AND YES, THERE’S MORE After you’ve set your goals, give your sheets back to your Seminar advisor AND, the Seminars with the most improvement of their NSS scores from last year to this year, get breakfast pizza & donuts on your last Seminar day this year It is possible for rewards to be both nutritious and delicious

12. HOW DO THE TESTS AFFECT MY COURSES? Students who show great growth and understanding according to the tests, may be able to opt out of an AxB section of Integrated I, II, or III for the AB section Students who do not show adequate progress in Reading Comprehension will take Language Arts Lab or Lit Strategies during 1 st and 2 nd Trimester during the next year.

13. QUESTIONS? What questions do you have about the tests or testing schedule? Yes, you can use a calculator for the Math Problem Solving Test (the long one), but NOT the Math Computation Test (the short one)