Top 10 Myths and Concerns About the CRT

1. Top 10 Myths and Concerns About the CRT Brought to you today by Nevada 8th Graders

2. #10 You Can’t Study for the CRT Tests. • They are based on the standards, so you can expect to see prioritized state standards on the test, e.g., Author’s purpose/ideas (4.5.5; 4.6.5; 4.8.5) will probably look like: • The author’s purpose in the passage is: a. Choice b. Choice c. Choice d. Choice

3. #9 Reading passages will be short texts written expressly for the purpose of testing. • Reading passages are taken from authentic texts, based on appropriate readability levels. • Reading passages are laced with non-fiction. • Reading passages contain a lot of science and state history.

4. #9 Reading passages will be short texts written expressly for the use of testing. • Passages vary in length and difficulty based on grade level and text type. 3rd grade—300-450 words 4th grade—400-550 words 5th grade—500-690 words 6th grade—650-820 words 7th grade—750-950 words 8th grade—900-1080 words

5. #8 Items progress from easiest to most difficult in each test. • Items of varying levels of difficulty are interspersed throughout each test. • Students should be encouraged to continue working, even if they encounter several items which they are unable to readily answer. • Students should be encouraged to mark the hard items and go back to them. • Never give up! Keep the hope!

6. #7 There won’t be enough time to finish the test. • According to the Green Guidelines, p. 40, “Students must be given additional time for the test provided they are working productively.” • The pressure of finishing within time limits can distort the results that are designed to measure student knowledge. The CRT is a power test, not a speed test. • Students should be encouraged to give each question their careful consideration and best effort.

7. #6 Accelerated Reader/Scholastic Reader helps prepare students for the test. • It may in fact hurt students. AR and SR are based on memory cognition, i.e., students are instructed to read and answer questions from memory. • The CRT, based on authentic reading and writing activities, is designed to have students re-read the passage for item answers. • Going back to the text is NOT cheating. • Students should be encouraged to go back over the passage, skim and scan for information. • Students should be encouraged to read for a purpose.

8. #6 Accelerated Reader/Scholastic Reader helps prepare students for the test. • Students believe they need only a percentage to pass and can therefore afford to skip or miss some questions. • Percents do not work on the CRTs. • The CRT test is based on grade level standards designed to present students with opportunities to show what they know and are able to do in response to ALL items.

9. #5 Daily Oral Language (DOL) editing practice will help in preparing for the CRT in reading. • The ELA portion of the CRT focuses on reading skills only. DOL may be of assistance to some students with the writing portion of the test if it is directly related to their actual writing tasks. • CRT doesn’t care about opinion; rather, it cares about divergent thinking. Thought counts! Spelling is important!

10. #5 Daily Oral Language (DOL) editing practice will help in preparingfor the CRT in reading. • Writing tasks are evaluated on sufficient responses to ideas called for in the item. Organization will make responses easier to score, so bullets and lists are acceptable in lieu of complete sentences. • A scholarly response is more important. • Students should be encouraged to use outlines and bullets in their responses. • Organization will make responses easier to score , so bullets and lists are acceptable in lieu of complete sentences.

11. #4 You must be careful not to mark in the test booklets. • Students may mark in the test booklets and for some students it may be helpful to do so. • By circling main ideas or numbering details or reasons as they are reading, they may be able to return to the text more easily in answering items. • Have the students practice marking on their test booklets in class. • Students can also use sticky notes.

12. #3 Getting lots of sleep and eating a big breakfast will improve your performance on the CRT. • The normal amount of sleep on which each individual functions best varies. Students should predetermine their optimal sleep time and make sure that’s what they have prior to test day. • The same is true for breakfast. If students normally eat a light breakfast, eating more on test day can actually hurt their ability to do well. • Research shows that CRT time should be treated like normal test days.

13. #2 The 8th grade test doesn’t count for anything. • It will prepare students for the high-stakes High School Proficiency Tests, taken for the first time in 10th grade. • Schools will be designated in terms of proficiency for accountability measures based on CRT results. • School is serious business! • Be proud of proficiency! • School reputation is important!

14. #1 The CRT is a concerted effort on the part of NDE to make students’ lives miserable. • The CRT is an opportunity for students to demonstrate knowledge attainment. • State tests help drive improvement in all schools and for all children. • They provide important information in determining the allocation of resources and assistance to schools and students.

15. For more information on CRT tests and practice guides • Go to: http://www.nde.state.nv.us/sca/testing/crt/