DOING YOUR PERSONAL BEST:
PREPARED
PRACTICED
READY
Dawn A. Moore, Director of Curriculum and Instruction
2011-2012 School Year
Revised by Kristin Baker for grades 3-6
PRACTICED, PREPRARED, READY!
BUILDS SELF-CONFIDENCE, MOTIVATION,
ENDURANCE, AND SUCCESS!
Grades 5 & 6
April 30th to May 3rd
Grades 3 & 4
May 7th to 10th/11th
Students who are absent will make up missed sections during the following week.


Lack of Stamina
and Energy

Too Much Stress

Anxiety

Know-how

Unprepared
No Motivation

No Set Goals

“Too difficult for me”
“ Where am I going?”
“Where will I be next year?
Two years?
Four years?”
“What can I do now to
create more possibilities
for me and my future?”
Cosmetologist
Postal Worker
Safety inspector
Engineer
Accountant
Teacher
Therapist
Government Worker
Doctor
Psychologist
Police officer
Technician
Lead Custodian
Mechanic
Chef
Forensic Scientist
Fitness Instructor
Real Estate Broker
PREPARING
FOR STANDARIZED TESTING …
PRACTICING AND
GETTING READY
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Wednesday
63 minutes
Wednesday
63 minutes
Thursday
68 minutes
Thursday
68 minutes
43 Multiple Choice*
43 Multiple Choice*
8 Short
Constructed Response
10 Short
Constructed Response
No calculators during SCR
No calculators during SCR
4 Extended Constructed Response* 5 Extended Constructed Response*
*Calculators permitted during certain sections of MC and ECR only.
Yes, it is the multiple choice part!
Why is this important to note?
P
C
M
Paper and
Pencil Processes
Calculator
Mental Math
Techniques
P
C
M
THREE APPROACHES TO MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
DECIDE ON THE APPROACH THAT WILL CORRECTLY SOLVE
THE PROBLEM THE FASTEST!

Misreading the question

Going with the 1st and NOT the BEST answer

Reading of the choices in order: A, B, C, D
… Try reading them in reverse order: D, C, B, A

Worrying about where classmates are on the test

Tripped up by what you RECOGNIZE in answer choices
… Wrong answers show common mistakes.
Spending too much time on
one problem
Not making a “smart” guess
Leaving an answer blank
Do NOT get “stuck” on one question and spend
valuable time when there are other multiple choice
questions you DO know how to do!
Skip the question you don’t know, BUT come back to
it once you have completed the others. Then, if you
still do not know, make an educated guess.
IF… IF… IF…ALL ELSE FAILS,
CAN I GUESS?
YES, YES, YES!
YOU CAN GUESS IF YOU CAN’T FIGURE OUT THE ANSWER.
THERE IS NO PENALTY IN THE SCORING FOR GUESSING.
counting on fingers
 Eliminate the two answer choices that seem unreasonable
 Make an educated guess from the remaining selections




Step #1: Read the question.
Step #2: Identify what the problem is asking!
Underline KEY WORDS.
Step #3: Label your bullets either “1, 2, 3,
etc.” OR “A, B, C, etc.” Then, use
the same labels for each response
so the reader knows which responses
go with which bullets.
Step #4: Use R-S-L to develop a clear response
for each bullet: Restate – Show - Label
R
RESTATE
The Question
The answer is_______.
OR
The vase will cost ____.
Explain your steps with words
OR clearly show your steps.
S
SHOW
Your Work!
You can use a helper statement:
I know this because I did ______ first,
Then I ______, then I ______...
Remember math can do “the talking” with minimal
words.
Tell your steps even if you use a calculator
Show HOW you got your answer.
L
LABEL
All Units!
Every unit of measurement should be clear: days, $,
inches… NO NAKED NUMBERS
And always – always – always CHECK YOUR WORK!
“But what if I do not know how to solve the
problem at all?”
Do NOT move on!
• In the ECR sections, do NOT skip any question.
• Read the question again and underline key words.
• Write out the information that is given.
• Try some type of strategy, even if you do not think it’s
completely correct.
By trying these steps,
you may get 1 or 2 of the 3 points.

Be sure your work is
organized so the test
scorer can easily score it.

Write answers only in the
area indicated.

Review your vocabulary
terms:
difference, product, etc.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Taking standardized tests
can be difficult, but ...
You are totally up
to the task.
You are
PREPARED, PRACTICED, and READY
to do your PERSONAL BEST!
THANK YOU FOR DOING YOUR PERSONAL BEST!
Mrs. Moore
Warren Hills Regional School District
Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Adapted to NJ ASK grades 3-6
Kristin Baker
Mansfield Twp. Elementary School