Beginning-of-Grade 3
Practice Activity
Fall 2013
Beginning-of-Grade 3 Practice Activity
• The NCDPI strongly recommends that every student
participating in the beginning-of-grade 3 English
Language Arts/Reading Test complete the practice
activity before test day.
• Therefore, school systems must administer the grade 3
practice activity before test day.
Beginning-of-Grade 3 Practice Activity
General Information
• The practice activity is not a test.
• It allows students to become familiar with
o answering multiple-choice questions
o transferring answers from a test book to an answer sheet
o coding responses on an answer sheet
Beginning-of-Grade 3 Practice Activity
General Information
• The practice activity is designed to simulate the test
administration and is to be administered in one day.
• The practice activity includes 15 multiple-choice English
Language Arts/Reading items.
• There is no time limit for students to complete the
practice activity, however the test is timed.
Beginning-of-Grade 3 Practice Activity
General Information
• The practice activity answer sheets are nonscannable
and may be hand scored by the teacher.
• Students may write on blank paper and in the practice
activity test book, but all final answers must be marked
on the answer sheet.
• The only marks students should make on the answer
sheet are answers to the test questions.
Beginning-of-Grade 3 Practice Activity
Coding Information on Student Answer Sheets
• Students will not bubble student information during the
practice activity.
– Testing Department precoded answer sheets.
– Extras are provided for new students.
• Test coordinator/teacher must precode the answer sheets for new
students.
Beginning-of-Grade 3 Practice Activity
Coding Information on Student Answer Sheets
• The following information should not be completed on
the practice activity answer sheet (continued):
o Special Codes
o Absent from Makeup bubble
Beginning-of-Grade 3 Practice Activity
Practice Activity Materials (page 2)
• North Carolina Beginning-of-Grade 3 Practice Activity
Teacher’s Guide
• An appropriate number of practice activity books and
nonscannable practice activity answer sheets
• Blank paper
• Extra sharpened No.2 pencils with erasers
Beginning-of-Grade 3 Practice Activity
Answers to the Practice Activity
• Teachers who use the practice activity may elect to
make a transparency of the answer key to check
student responses on the nonscannable practice
activity answer sheet.
• The answer key is located in the back of the Practice
Activity Teacher’s Guide.
Beginning-of-Grade 3 Practice Activity
Answers to the Practice Activity
• After the practice activity has been completed, teachers
may discuss the items with students.
• Students should be told that the content and difficulty of
the practice items are not designed to be similar to the
content and difficulty of items on the test.
• However, the format of the items on the practice activity
is similar to that of the items on the test.
Beginning-of-Grade 3 Practice Activity
Practice Activity Schedule (page 2)
• The practice activity is completed with students on a
day or days before the test administration.
• It must not be given the day of the test.
• Teachers may elect to talk to students about time limits
and recording time on the board for the actual test.
• Proctors are not required, but are recommended to
simulate an authentic testing setting.
Beginning-of-Grade 3 Practice Activity
Instructions for the Practice Activity (page 3)
• The teacher will explain to students that the practice
activity will help them learn how to take the actual test.
• The teacher can help students with the questions on
the practice activity, but will not be able to help with
questions and answers on the test.
• The teacher will explain that there will be more
questions on the actual test than on the practice
activity.
Beginning-of-Grade 3 Practice Activity
Instructions for the Practice Activity (page 3)
• The teacher ensures that students have a sharpened
No. 2 pencil.
• Teachers will distribute the correct answer sheet to
each student.
• They will be asked to check their first and last name to
be sure that the computer marked the correct
information.
Beginning-of-Grade 3 Practice Activity
Instructions for the Practice Activity
• The teacher distributes the practice activity book and
students are asked to write their first and last name on
the blank line on the cover.
• Students will be told that the teacher is not allowed to
read to students any part of the practice activity or the
actual test.
• Students will answer two sample questions and
complete the practice activity.