L—Louisiana
E—Education
A—Assessment
P—Program
Testing Dates:
March 19, 2014
 Phase I (LEAP Only: Writing & Math Constructed
Response)
April 7-11, 2014
 Phase II (LEAP: Remaining Test Items and iLEAP:
All Test Items)
 All
Public School Students in Louisiana
 LEAP

4th and 8th grade
 The
LEAP is made to assess what is taught
in each subject within the grade level.
 Although
the test is an assessment of the
new Common Core Standards, it is a
transitional test, meant to bring us closer
to the implementation of the PARCC
Assessment.
Our goal is to have every student at Marrero
Academy do their best on the LEAP and iLEAP
and achieve Mastery or Advanced in all four
components of the test.
Our students should be
rest!!!
a leap above the
 Advanced
 Superior Performance
 Mastery
 Competency over
Challenging Subjects
 Basic
 Approaching
 Fundamentals Learned
Basic
 Unsatisfactory
 Not Quite Up-to-Par
 Not Ready for the Next
Level of Schooling
LEAP GRADE 4
ELA
SCIENCE SOC. ST.
MATH
Achievement
Level
Scaled
Score
Range
Advanced
408-500 82 419-500 84 405-500 81 399500
80
Mastery
354-407 71 370-418 74 360-404 72 353398
71
Basic
301-353 60 315-369 63 306-359 61 301352
60
Approaching
Basic
263-300 53 282-314 56 263-305 53 272300
54
Unsatisfactory
100-262
%
Scaled
Score
Range
100-281
%
Scaled
Score
Range
100-262
%
Scaled
Score
Range
100271
%
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
LEAP TEST PREP
 Structure
of the test
 Test design
 Common Core ELA/Literacy standards to be
assessed
Test Design
Number of Points
Testing time
(suggested)
Writing
(during Phase 1)
12
90 minutes
Reading and
Responding
36
75 minutes
Research to Build
Knowledge
9
40 minutes
Language
8
20 minutes
TOTALS
65
225 minutes
 WRITING




Students will be asked to read one or two
passages and write a composition that includes
evidence from the texts to support the writer’s
ideas.
The writing prompt may direct students to write
a story, develop an explanation or description, or
convince someone of their position.
Responses will be scored on three dimensions:
Content, Style and Conventions
Students will follow a content rubric or a style
rubric or a conventions rubric when writing.
 Writing
will be grounded in textual
evidence.
 This kind of prompt demands more than
writing skills alone. Now students must read
texts carefully to determine what evidence is
most relevant and then create an organized,
well-written composition that incorporates
that evidence.
Directions: Read the passage about Moroccan markets. As you read the passage, think about an adventure someone could have finding
an unusual treasure in a Moroccan market. Then use the passage to help you to write a well-organized story of at least three
paragraphs.
Moroccan Market
Morocco is a country in northern Africa bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean
Sea. One of the most interesting things about this country is its markets. What makes these markets so
special? Let’s find out!
The markets can be any size, but most are very large, open-air markets. That means they are not in
a mall or shopping center. They are outdoors where shoppers can feel the wind blowing and the sun shining.
Sometimes birds fly into the market or animals walk in and “shop” among the people. Some big markets are made
up of so many narrow streets that it feels like walking through a maze.
A Moroccan market has many surprises for shoppers. It is filled with interesting and unusual sights
and sounds. Storytellers wander through the market entertaining people with delightful tales. Musicians play
drums and sing African music. Acrobats delight the crowds with their tumbling and extraordinary balancing acts.
Snake charmers play flutes to make their snakes dance, and trained monkeys perform for the shoppers!
There are many treasures to be found in a Moroccan market. Some people shop for old, mysterious
lamps, beautiful locked boxes, or statues made of metal. Others look for unusual rugs, jewelry, or clothes. Some
buy food and spices that can only be found in Morocco.
At a Moroccan market there are no price tags. Shoppers choose how much they want to pay for
something through a process called bartering. If both the shop owner and shopper agree on a price, they will
make the trade. This way both the shop owner and shopper are happy.
A Moroccan market is truly a special place. Shoppers never know what to expect at each turn in the
maze of a Moroccan market. But one thing is certain: shoppers cannot but help to have an adventure they will
remember.
Students will be expected to write a well-organized story
of at least 3 paragraphs.
The story should include at least 4 facts from the article
with details indicating that they have read the passage.
__________________________________________________
Sample Outline
Paragraph 1: Who, what, when, where, why in Morocco.
Paragraph 2: Three things you do there
1. At market what happened (use details from pp 2
in article)
2. Surprises (use details from ph 3 in article)
3. Bartering (use details from ph 5 in article)
Paragraph 3: Lesson you learned from the visit.

Grade 4 and 5 Writing Tests are untimed, but students should be given a minimum of 75 minutes
to read the passage(s), plan and write their compositions, and check their work.
Scoring Information
The LEAP compositions are scored for Content and Style, but they also are scored for the
conventions of writing: Sentence Formation, Usage, Mechanics, and Spelling.
The Content dimension measures
*the focus of the student’s central idea;
*the development of that idea, including the appropriate and accurate use of
information
from the passage(s); and
*the organization of the student’s ideas.
The Style dimension evaluates the ways in which the student shapes and controls the language and
the flow of the composition. Features of Style include:
*word choice;
*sentence fluency, which includes sentence structure and sentence variety; and
* voice, the individual personality of the writing.
For each of these two dimensions, a student can earn from 1 to 4 score points.
 In addition, the grade 4 compositions are rated as showing either “acceptable control” or
“unacceptable control” in the conventions: Sentence Formation, Usage, Mechanics, and
Spelling. An acceptable rating earns 1 score point, while an unacceptable rating earns none.
Dimensions
Maximum Possible Points
Content
4
Style
4
Sentence Formation
1
Usage
1
Mechanics
1
Spelling
1
Total Points
12

Below are links to resources that offer additional information
about the transitional tests, the CCSS, and the PARCC
assessments:
• www.doe.state.la.us/topics/assessment_guides.html
(Assessment Guides for all subjects and grades tested)
• www.louisianapass.org
(transitional writing prompts on the Practice
Assessment/Strengths Skills system)
• www.doe.state.la.us/topics/common_core_samples.html
(CCSS-aligned items)
• www.parcconline.org/samples/item-task-prototypes
(samples of PARCC assessment items)
 READING


AND RESPONDING
The students will be asked to draw inferences,
determine key ideas of a text and identify
supporting evidence, determine cause/effect
relationships, identify comparisons and contrasts,
and explain or describe aspects of a text.
Reading section will include:



Several reading passages, literary and informational
texts
Multiple-choice items that measure reading
comprehension
Complex constructed-response items that ask students
to analyze one or two passage and use evidence from
the texts in their written response.

RESEARCH TO BUILD KNOWLEDGE (formerly titled
Informational Resources)
 Students will demonstrate knowledge in
accessing and interpreting information.
 Test items will measure research skills that
include categorizing information and providing
a list of sources.
 Language

(formerly Proofreading Skills)
Measures proofreading skills
 Students will read a text that includes
mistakes in skill areas determined by the
Grade 4 language skills.
 Students will answer multiple-choice
questions that require choosing the best way
to write each underlined part.
 The




following are not directly measured:
Speaking
Listening
Reading standards: Foundational skills
HOWEVER……they provide essential building
blocks and practice for the standards that are
measured
Louisiana may be transitioning to the PARCC for
2014-15.
 All answers in the Multiple Choice questions no
longer have answers that are obviously wrong,
therefore, allowing the student to easily
eliminate those choices. Student will be
required to use reasoning skills before choosing a
correct answer.


The LEAP will be more rigorous in 2013-14.
Students will be required to not only answer
questions on a constructed response, but, they
will also be required to give supporting evidence
for their answer.
 Sample
questions showing changes: (based on
story reading a passage from “Sarah, Plain
and Tall”)

2012-13
Question:
“List two things that Sarah will no longer see around her
when she comes to live on a prairie farm.”


Response: the sea and small house
 2013-14

Sample question(based upon the same passage)
Question:
“What gift did Sarah send Anna and why was it special?”

Response:
Sarah sent Anna a book about sea birds. It is something
that is special to Sarah because she loves the sea and
wants to share what is important to her with Anna.

The life story of Louis Armstrong is an example
of someone who
A. became famous because he was so wealthy.
B. never escaped from his life of poverty.
C. could not get a good education because he
was poor.
D. overcame a difficult childhood and became
a famous musician.
When Louis Armstrong was a young teenager,
he had to go to reform school because
A. he wanted to get a good education.
B. he wanted to learn how to play the
trumpet.
C. he had gotten into trouble.
D. it was a good place to join a band.
The following question has two parts. Answer
part A and then answer part B.
 Part A: According to Article 1, what do
archaeologists study in addition to people who
lived long ago?
 A. The reasons an area became full of debris
long ago

 B.
The general conditions in an area
long ago
C. The governments of the people long ago
 D. The ways people worked together long ago

Part B: Which detail from Article 1 best supports the answer to Part A?
A. “It's not that the ground has really sunk; it's more that more layers have
been added on top.”
B. “And the more they find, the more they understand.”
C. “For instance, by discovering seeds,
archaeologists can also discover what kinds of
crops the people who lived there grew or, if
people didn't live there at all, what kind of wild
plants or fruits or vegetables grew there.”
D. “Also, a dig might turn up fragments of clothing or shoes, giving
archaeologists clues to what kind of clothing the people who lived there
wore.”
Mathematics LEAP Test Prep
The Math test consists of two multiple choice
sections (one with calculator usage and one
without) and three constructed response items.
 The constructed response portion of the test will
be given during Phase 1 in March. The multiple
choice sections will be completed during Phase 2
in April.
 A student earns 1 point for each correct answer
to the multiple choice questions and 0-4 points
for the work shown on each constructed-response
item.
 Please stress to your children to show all their
work and to check over each problem in the Math
section. Careless mistakes can really hurt you in
these sections.

Structure of the Test:
Subject
Description
Number of
Items
Number of
Points
Estimated
Testing Times
Constructed
Response,
Calculator
3
12
45 Minutes
Multiple Choice,
No Calculator
36
36
80 Minutes
Multiple Choice,
Calculator
24
24
50 Minutes
Total
63
72
175 Minutes
Reporting Categories:
Reporting Categories
Percentage
Geometry
10%
Measurement and Data
15%
Number and Operations in Base
Ten
25%
Number and Operations –
Fractions
30%
Operations and Algebraic
Thinking
20%



Most questions will require students to complete
multiple steps in order to solve the problem.
The traditional “key words” are no longer being used
as a way for students to know what to do to solve the
problem. Questions focus more on requiring students
to use common sense and comprehension strategies
to figure out what to do.
For multiple choice items, there are no longer any
obviously wrong answers. Gone are the days of using
“Process of Elimination”. Answer choices are viable
and require students to use more reasoning skills
before choosing a correct answer.
Mia’s favorite sports team has won 0.42 of its
games this season. How can Mia express this
decimal as a fraction?
a.
b.
c.
d.
4/20
42/100
4/2
42/10
Mary Beth has a bag of 3 different types of candies.
The fractions of two types of candies in the bag are
listed below.
 Candies that have nuts:59/100
 Candies that have caramel: 2/10
The rest of the candies in the bag have chocolate.
What fraction of the candies in Mary Beth’s bag have
either nuts or caramel?
a.
b.
c.
d.
61/110
61/100
79/110
79/100
Lily is going to give away all the pieces of
candy in a bag. She can give an equal number
of pieces of candy to 5, 3, or, 2 people. Which
number of pieces of candy could be in Lily’s
bag?
a.
b.
c.
d.
12
20
30
45
SCIENCE LEAP TEST PREP
 2013-2014
grade 4 LEAP continues to assess
Louisiana’s science benchmarks.
 The design of the multiple-choice and short
answer sessions of the test remains the same
as it was in 2012-2013.
 This year, the LEAP contains a task aligned to
the Common Core Standards for English
language arts and science benchmarks.
 Science
as Inquiry
 Physical Science
 Life Science
 Earth and Space Science
 Science and the Environment
Test Sessions
Number of
Items
Number of
Points
Suggested
testing time
Session 1:
Multiple
Choice
40
40
60 minutes
Session 2:
Short answer
4
8
30 minutes
Session 3:
Task
4 multiple
choice
1 extended
response
8
(Multiple
choice =1 pt.
each,
extended
response=4
pts.)
30 minutes
Strand/Category
# of Points
MC
# of Point CR
% of Points
Science as Inquiry
8
0
16
8
2
21
A. Questioning,
Planning, Doing and
Recording
B. Interpreting
and communicating
Physical Science
A. Properties of
Objects and materials
B. Position and
Motion of Objects
C. Forms of
Energy
Strand/
Category
Life Science
A.
Characteristics
of organisms
B. Life Cycles
of organisms
C. Organisms
and their
environment
# of Points MC
# of Points CR
% of Points
8
2
21
Strand/
Category
# of Points MC
# of Points Cr
% of Points
Earth and
Space Science
8
2
21
Science and the
Environment
8
2
21
TOTAL
40
8
100
A. Properties
of Earth
materials
B. Objects in
the Sky
An ocean, a forest, and a grassy meadow
are each examples of a complete
ecosystem. Complete ecosystems contain
only
A. animals.
B. rocks and water.
* C. living and nonliving things.
D. populations of plants and animals.
Science as Inquiry
Social Studies LEAP Test Prep
 The
Social Studies portion is untimed.
 The Social studies portion of the LEAP
consists of four sessions: Two multiple
choice sessions, one constructed response
session, and one session involving a task.
 The last session involves a task, where
students will be asked to use resources to
answer questions and complete a writing
assignment.
Test Structure
Test Sessions
Number of
Items
Number of
Points
Suggested
Testing Time
Session 1:
Multiple Choice
25
25
40 Minutes
Session 2:
Multiple Choice
25
25
40 Minutes
Session 3:
Constructed
Response
2
8
30 Minutes
Task
5
8
40 minutes
Strands/Categories
Items
% of Total Points
GEOGRAPHY
18
36%
CIVICS
10
20%
ECONOMICS
7
14%
HISTORY
15
30%
Total
50
100%
 Each
multiple choice section has 25
questions, all worth 1 point each.
 Questions may use charts, graphs, maps,
illustrations, and/or political cartoons.
 The
constructed response session consists of
two questions, both worth 4 points each.
 Questions may use charts, graphs, maps,
illustrations, and/or political cartoons.
Social Studies Task…….





The task may assess benchmarks from any of the four strands.
The task reflects the rigor of Common Core and applies ELA
standards for reading informational text and writing to a Social
Studies context.
The task consists of four multiple-choice items and one extended
response item. The items are based on three or four authentic
stimulus materials, which are referred to as “documents” in the
task.
The extended response portion of the task requires students to
provide a written response that illustrates how well they can
synthesize Social studies content knowledge with evidence from
the documents provided.
The session consists of 4 multiple choice questions (all worth 1
point) and 1 extended response question that is worth 4 points.
Tips, Reminders, Practice Info
 We
are working very hard to make sure your
children are being taught what they need to
know for the upcoming standardized tests. It
is imperative that they study. We know this
year is fast paced, but we have to cover a lot
of material before the test.
Reassure your child.
 Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep.
 Make sure your child eats something nutritious
for breakfast.
 Try to make each morning of testing a pleasant
one for your child.
 Make sure that your child arrives at school ON
TIME each morning of testing week.
 Remind your child to listen carefully to test
instructions and to read directions for each
question with care.

Tell your child to attempt to answer ALL
questions. There is no penalty for guessing.
 Remind your child that the test is important.
 Explain the importance of using his or her time
wisely.
 Encourage your child to stay focused on the test,
even if others finish early.
 Remind your child that it is perfectly acceptable
to mark in the test booklets or underline key
words, but all answers must be correctly marked
on the answer sheet.
 Remind your child to write neatly and follow
directions on all Written Response Questions.

 Attendance
and promptness during testing
is very important.
 Do not leave anything BLANK! Try every
problem.
 Preparation for the test happens each and
every day. Pay attention in class!
 Read each passage carefully. Do not let
the length of the passage discourage you.
 Relax, Read the directions carefully, and
Rejoice!!
LEAP Released Sample Items:
www.louisianabelieves.com
Louisiana PASS System
www.louisianapass.org
KidBiz 3000
www.kidbiz3000.com
First in Math
www.firstinmath.com
Parent Resources
www.parenttoolkit.com