2013 - 2014

Test dates:
◦ April 7 – April 10
Will focus on Common Core State Standards
Test Design
Number of Points
 Writing
12
 Research
8
 Read and Respond 32
 Language
13

Time(suggested)
90 min.
40 min.
75 min.
20 min.
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
Session 1: Writing asks students to read one or two
passages and then write a composition that
includes evidence from the text(s) to support the
writer’s ideas.
The writing prompt on the practice test was used
on last year’s spring iLEAP test and asks students
to convince someone of their position.
Other grade 5 prompts may direct students to write
a story or develop an explanation or description.
Read the passage about school gardens. As you read the passage, think about whether you believe your school
should or should not have a garden. Then use the passage to help you write a well-organized multi-paragraph letter.
School Gardens
Many schools today have gardens. School gardens are planted by students and staff and are filled with
flowers, often lavender and sunflowers, and crops such as tomatoes, carrots, and peppers. Whether the garden is large or
small, the students and school community who care for the plants have a rewarding experience while they learn new skills
and information.
Teachers can find many ways to use school gardens as part of their lessons. For example, math teachers can
take their students out to the garden to measure the heights of different plants. Science teachers can use a school garden
to help students learn how plants grow. Art teachers can ask students to decorate pots or create signs for each type of
plant in the garden. The educational possibilities are endless.
There are just as many benefits for the students who work in the school gardens. One of the most important
things they learn is responsibility. By being in charge of a section, they learn how to care for their plants. Students also
see the consequences when they fail to do the work. Gardens also provide lots of opportunities for teamwork. Students
work together to prepare the soil, plant the seeds, and care for the plants as they grow. They see a whole process that
depends on the class working together as a team.
A school garden not only benefits the whole school; it also benefits the entire community! By allowing
community members to help tend the garden, students can get to know the people in their community. The food grown in
the garden can be donated to local food banks, which will make students feel proud about helping their neighbors. In
addition, studies have shown that students who are actively involved in their community earn higher grades.
However, there are some disadvantages to school gardens. A school garden can be fun and educational, but it
also takes a lot of time and requires a lot of space. If schools do not have an area for the garden, additional supplies must
be purchased to create a garden area. Some schools may not be able to afford the wood, soil, seeds, water, and tools
needed to build a raised garden. Students could injure themselves while using gardening tools if safety rules are not
followed. Insect bites and allergies may also affect some students who spend time in the garden.
In addition to cost, space, and safety concerns, there is also the question of who will care for the garden
during the summer when students are not in school. A garden can be a good addition to a school, but it may not be right for
every school.
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: Why you are writing and what your opinion is.
Paragraph 2: Three ways a garden would benefit your school:
1. Learn lessons (use details from ph 2 in article)
2. Learn responsibility (use details from ph 3 in article)
3. Benefits Community (use details from ph 4 in article)
Paragraph 3: Reiterate how garden would be good for school.

Grade 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

Session 2: Research to Build Knowledge asks students to read
a set of informational resources on a given topic and
demonstrate a thorough understanding of the resources by
answering multiple-choice questions.
Example:
How does the account of Taylor Hernandez’s sponge block invention in
the book Inventors differ from the account in the magazine Inventors’

Resource?
A. The book account explains why the blocks take up very little space.
B. The book account describes how the blocks are held together when
they are stacked.
C. The book account explains what gave Taylor the idea for inventing
the blocks.
D. The book account tells about an award Taylor won for her
invention.



Session 3: Language asks students to apply
language skills by answering a series of multiplechoice questions.
First, students identify mistakes in several short
writing samples.
Then they read two short passages and answer
questions on how to improve the writing in the
passages.


In the past, Language has had different
sections for spelling, usage, mechanics, and
grammar.
Now, it is one set of directions and students
are proofreading for all possible mistakes
within each question.

Example:
A. In spite of their name koala bears are
B. not actually bears. They are marsupials,
C. which carry their young in a pouch.
D. (No mistakes)


Session 4: Reading and Responding asks students
to read several passages and answer multiplechoice questions and an extended constructedresponse item to show their understanding of the
passages.
This section will focus on measuring reading
comprehension. The grade 5 CCSS ask students to
draw inferences, determine two or more main ideas
of a text and identify key details, compare and
contrast characters, and explain or describe other
aspects of a text (the structure, point of view,
reasoning, etc.).

The Reading section will include the following:
• Several reading passages, both literary and
informational texts
• Multiple-choice items that measure reading
comprehension
• Multiple-choice items that measure important
vocabulary in the passages
• An extended-constructed response item that
asks students to analyze a text and use
evidence from the text to create a written
response that addresses all parts of a
complex task
Structure
Points
Multiple Choice,
No calculator
30
Multiple Choice,
With calculator
20
Constructed Response
8
Time
(suggested)
60 min.
40 min.
30 min.
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
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Operations and Algebraic Thinking
Number and Operations in Base Ten
Number and Operations in Fractions
Measurement and Data
Geometry
-
10%
25%
45%
25%
5%
th
5
Grade
SCIENCE iLEAP
TEST PREP
This year compared
to last year
 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.
5 Science Strands of Content
 Science
as Inquiry
 Physical Science
 Life Science
 Earth and Space Science
 Science and the Environment
Test Structure
Test Sessions
Number of
Items
Number of
Points
Suggested
testing time
Multiple
Choice
46
46
60 minutes
Task
4 Multiple
choice
1 extended
response
8
(multiple
choice=1
point each,
extended
response=4
points)
30 minutes
Test Specifics for MultipleChoice Session
Strand/Category
% of Points
Science as Inquiry
22
A. The Abilities to do Scientific Inquiry
B. Understanding Scientific Inquiry
Physical Science
A. Properties and changes of properties in
matter
B. Motion and Forces
C. Transformations of Energy
20
Test Specifics
Strand/
Category
Life Science
A. Structure and function in Living Systems
B. Reproduction and Heredity
C. Populations and Ecosystems
D. Adaptations of Organisms
% of Points
20
Test Specifics
Strand/
Category
# of Points MC
Earth and Space Science
22
A. Structure of Earth
B. Earth History
C. Earth in the Solar System
Science and the Environment
TOTAL
16
100
Physical Science
Science as Inquiry
Earth and Space Science
Structure
Points
Multiple Choice
40
Task:
4 multiple choice
4
1 extended response 4
Time(suggested)
60 min.
45 min.
Geography
50%
The World in Spatial Terms
Places and Regions
Physical and Human Systems
Environment and Society
History
50%
Historical Thinking Skills
United States History
Description of Stimulus Material for Tasks
The multiple-choice and task sessions of the grade 5
test may incorporate the following types of stimulus
material:
• an excerpt from a text-based primary or
secondary source
• a map or illustration of a globe
• a table or graph presenting numerical data to be
read or interpreted
• a timeline, chart, illustration, photograph,
historical poster, or graphic organizer
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/Strengthes 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)

Be at school on time. Once the test has
started, no one is allowed into the room.

Eat a healthy breakfast.
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Get a good night’s sleep.

Have a good morning.
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No beeping watches.