2015 State Assessments
Informational Meeting
th
7 Grade
What parents and students need to know
What test is 7th grade taking?
 March 2–13, 2015
Computer-Based (including Paper-Based Accommodations):
 FSA Grades 8–11 English Language Arts Writing Component
 April 13–May 8, 2015 Computer-Based:
 FSA Grades 5–11 English Language Arts
 FSA Grades 5–8 Mathematics
 April 13–May 8, 2015 Paper-Based:
 FCAT 2.0 Grades 5 and 8 Science
 April 20–May 22, 2015
Computer-Based:
 Biology 1, Civics, U.S. History
Only applicable
for students
enrolled in these
courses
Testing Calendar
 See Handout #1
Why FSA?
 With new, more rigorous standards in place to help Florida students
succeed, the FCAT 2.0 no longer serves the purpose of measuring student
progress and achievement.
 Best serves Florida students by accurately measuring education gains and
progress.
 This new method of assessment will allow teachers to emphasize critical
thinking, which will provide our students with even greater opportunities to
succeed in college, career, and life.
 The new test will provide a more authentic assessment of the Florida
Standards, because it will include more than multiple choice questions.
Students will be asked to create graphs, interact with test content and write
and respond in different ways than on traditional tests.
 New question types will assess students’ higher-order thinking skills in
keeping with the higher expectations of the Florida Standards.
Types of Questions
7th Grade Math
(see handout #2)
 Table Items
 Matching Items
 Grid Items with Action Buttons
 Equation Response Items
 Multi-Select Items
 Multiple Choice Items
 Hot Text Items
 Open Response Items
 Editing Task Items
 Editing Task Choice Items
Sample Questions
Middle School Math
 GRAPHIC Response Sample (Visit http://fsassessments.org for more info):
Types of Questions
7th Grade ELA
(see handout #3)
 Item Types
 Multiple Choice Items
 Multiple- Select Items
 Grid Items
 Hot Text Items
 Open Response Items
 Evidence-Based Selective Response Items
 Editing Task Items
 Editing Task Choice Items
 Multimedia/Listening Items
Sample Questions
Middle School ELA
 Hot Text Item Sample (Visit http://fsassessments.org for more info):
Sample Questions
Middle School ELA
 Multimedia/Listening Item Sample (Visit http://fsassessments.org for more info):
Writing Component
New FSA Writing Component
 The FSA ELA includes the Text-Based Writing Component, administered
separately from the rest of FSA ELA to allow time for hand scoring; will
be reported as part of a single ELA score.
 Writing component will be paper-based for grades 6th and 7th.
 Students will have up to 120 minutes to complete the essay.
 Students will be faced with either an argumentative or
informative/explanatory prompt (see handout #4)
EOC – End of Course Exams
EOC’s
 Subjects Tested:
 Biology 1
 Civics
 U.S. History
 Algebra 1
 Algebra 2
 Geometry
 ONLY Middle School Students who are enrolled in those courses will be
required to take the End of Course Exams.
 ALL EOC’s are computer-based.
Where do we go from here?
Three-Tier Tutoring Program
 After School Tutoring:
 Mandatory for FCAT Levels 1 and 2
 Monday & Wednesday (2:40 p.m. – 3:40 p.m.) – MATH
 Tuesday & Thursday (2:40 p.m. – 3:40 p.m.) - READING
 Saturday Tutoring:
 FCAT Levels 3, 4, and 5
 See Handout #5 for dates and times
 Pull-Out Tutoring
 Designed for bubble students
 Students will be pulled-out of elective classes for 45 minutes
Rewards
Students who come to ALL Saturday and/or After
School Tutoring:
Parents will receive ALL volunteer hours for the 2014-2015
School Year
Students will participate in a Sundae Ice Cream Party and
a raffle for:
Tablets
Gift Cards
Movie Tickets
Students will receive snacks at the end of the
Saturday Tutoring Sessions
For more Information…
 PowerPoint will be posted at www.matermiddlehigh.org
 For more information on FSA Assessments, please visit
 http://fsassessments.org
 http://www.fldoe.org/accountability/assessments/k-12-studentassessment/fsa.stml
Questions
 Counselors, teachers and administrators will be available
for questions at the end of this presentation.