BEYOND THE
BENCHMARK:
SUCCESS ON
COMMON CORE
ASSESSMENTS"
Sheba Lowe Brown
A+ Test Prep & Academic Services
www.aplushigherscores.com
sheba@aplushigherscores.com
919-824-3912
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BEST PRACTICES
Gleaned from the sample questions
Example 1. Insist on using foundational
knowledge—even for complex problems.
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MAIN IDEA
Sample Question formats
• Which of the following best summarizes the
main point of the passage?
• The primary focus of paragraph two is . . .
• The passage can primarily be described as . . .
• The main point of the final paragraph is . . .
• The passage most strongly supports the idea
that . . .
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WHAT CAN I DO IN MY CLASSROOM?
• Provide assignments based on rigorous
reading material drawn from prose,
humanities, social science, & natural science.
• Vary the wording for the core reading
questions.
• Require writing assignments of varying
difficulty.
• Require reading of charts & graphs and
interpretation of and writing about data.
• Hold students accountable for basic writing
skills.
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http://www.act.org/qotd/
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