2015 State Assessments Informational Meeting 6th Grade What parents and students need to know. What test is 6th grade taking? March 2–13, 2015 Paper-Based: FSA Grades 4–7 English Language Arts Writing Component April 13–May 8, 2015 Computer-Based: FSA Grades 5–11 English Language Arts FSA Grades 5–8 Mathematics 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 6th 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 6th Grade ELA (see handout #3) Item Types Multiple Choice Items Multiple- Select Items Grid Items 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) 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 participate in 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.html Questions Counselors, teachers and administrators will be available for questions at the end of this presentation