PSSA
INFORMATIONAL
EVENING
FERDERBAR AND LOWER SOUTH
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
FEBRUARY 25, 2014
GOALS FOR TONIGHT
• Review PSSA testing information
• Share best practices and effective instruction to
use at home for the upcoming PSSA
PENNSYLVANIA ACADEMIC
STANDARDS
 Define what each student should know and do in
a core set of subjects
 Provide consistent targets for students, teachers,
and districts
 Allow districts to measure student achievement
PSSA DATES
Math/Reading: March 25-April 3, grades 3-5.
Writing, April 8-10, grade 5.
Science, April 29-30, grade 4.
PSSA
READING
ASSESSMENT
2014
GRADE 3
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Three sessions
Approximately 40-70 minutes each
Target Passage Types for Common Passages
- Two Stories
- One Poem
- One Informational
- One Autobiography/Biography or one Practical/How-to/Advertisement
56 multiple-choice items (40 common items)
5 open-ended items: 3 short answer (2 common) and 2 evidence –
based selected-responses (EBSR).
Students write ALL answers in test booklet
GRADES 4 & 5
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Three sessions
Approximately 45-85 minutes each
Target Passage Types (mix varies by grade)
- Story
- Poem
- Informational
- Autobiography/Biography
- Practical/How-to/Advertisement
- Essay/Editorial (grade 5)
56 Multiple-choice items (40 common items)
7 Open-ended items: 4 short answer (all common items), 2 evidencebased selected responses, and 1 text dependent analysis.
Students write answers in answer booklet
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
Both Reading and Math tests use multiple choice
questions in the PSSA test
Share strategies for answering these questions
Embed multiple choice question structure in your reading
practice
Have students learn how to “eliminate” choices in the
questions
Embed multiple choice formats in math practice
“Show What you Know and why you did that”
STRATEGIES
•Read the open stem with each of the answers individually.
•Cross out all the answers you know are wrong.
•Go back into the story and prove your answer.
•Try thinking of the answer before reading your choices.
•Find the correct answer in the passage and underline it.
•Go back into the text and find the statement or emphasized word.
•Use context clues.
•Highlight the key words in the question or text.
•Read all the answer choices and pick the one that best fits the question.
•Reread the sentence with the word or phrase choice in it.
VARIATIONS
Emphasis of a certain word or phrase
Bold type
“in quotation marks”
Italics
Underlined
Essay Questions
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Read the question twice
Decide on length of response
Create a brief outline for a lengthy response
Answer only the question and all parts of the question
Use pictures or diagrams as needed to help explain your
response
 Reread your completed response and make needed
corrections
HANDOUTS
1. Reading Comprehension Strategies
2. Sample Open-Ended Prompts
3. T-Chart
SAMPLE PROBLEM
HANDOUTS
Philharmonic Express
1.Reading Passage
2.Sample Multiple Choice Questions
3.Open Ended Response
PSSA
Math
Assessment
2014
MATH 2014
Five Reporting Categories
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Numbers and Operations
Measurement
Geometry
Algebra
Data Analysis
MATH 2014
Student score comes from:
o - 60 multiple choice questions
o - Three open-ended questions
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Students take:
o - 72 multiple choice in grades 3 - 5
o - Four open-ended questions
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All grades will alternate subject areas with Math coming
first.
OPEN-ENDED ITEMS
•
Examples of how open-ended items might be phrased:
- Show or explain all your work.
- Show all your work. Explain why you did each step.
- Explain why [something is true or false]
- Describe how [doing something affects something else; to find
something, etc.]
• Some notes about open-ended items:
- Guess and Check is a valid method but at least two incorrect
guesses must be shown to receive full credit.
- Not all open-ended items require a “why.”
Steps for solving open-ended questions
– Read the entire question – twice
– What does the question ask you to do?
•Highlight clue words (explain, show your work)
– Perform calculations
– Check for reasonableness
– Explain the WHY in your answer using words like
“because, to show, to find,” etc.
– Use math vocabulary terms in your answer
MATH 2014
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Testing time is approximately 150-180 minutes for Math.
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Testing in Grades 3 - 5.
Grade 3:
 CANNOT use calculators
 Answers marked in test booklet
Grade 4 and 5:
 Calculators ARE permitted on all but the beginning few items.*
MATH 2014
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Rulers and protractors will be provided where
needed (grades 3 and 4 respectively). Students
must use the rulers and protractors provided for
the PSSA.
Rulers will be used in grade 3 only and will be
scaled to the ⅛ inch and millimeter. Students will
be required to measure to the ¼ inch and
centimeter.
Protractors will be used at grade 4 only.
SAMPLE PROBLEM
HANDOUTS
1. Sample Multiple Choice Questions
2. Sample Open Ended Response
PSSA
Writing
Assessment
2014
WRITING 2014
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Alignment: PA Academic Standards 1.4 & 1.5
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All Students in Grades 5
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Multiple-Choice: measure conventions
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Writing Prompts: measure composition skills and
conventions
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Mode-specific Scoring Guidelines for composition
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Conventions scored separately
2014 WRITING TEST FORMAT
3 sections (may administer sections 1 & 2 in same
session)
Responses marked/written in test booklet
Scratch paper for pre-writing should be provided
2 lined pages for each prompt response
SAMPLE PROBLEM
HANDOUTS
1. Sample Writing Prompt
PSSA
Science
Assessment
2014
PSSA SCIENCE 2014
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Grade 4
 58 Multiple Choice items (scored)
 Five open-ended items (two points each)
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Four Reporting Categories
The Nature of Science
Biological Sciences
Physical Sciences
Earth and Space Sciences
SAMPLE PROBLEM
HANDOUTS
1. Sample Multiple Choice Questions
2. Sample Open Ended Response
FOUNDATIONS FOR SUCCESS AT HOME
PRACTICE PACKETS
PIZZA PARTY!
Questions