Good Evening !

1. GoodEvening! PLEASE NOTE All presentation materials will be accessible on our website tomorrow. To access materials: • Go to www.district158.org • Click on schools-Conley-Teachers-Mrs. Busky, 3rd Grade Thank you for supporting our effort to “GO GREEN”!

2. ISAT Preparation Information for Conley Parents February 9, 2010 Tonight’s Presenters (in order): Mrs. Cravens, Mrs. Jones & Mrs. Busky

3. ISAT Reading

4. Challenges of High-Stakes Reading Assessments Lengthy Passages Time Constraints Writing Components Higher-Level Questioning

5. Months Before the Test • Read with your child on a regular basis • Ask questions • Main idea • New or unfamiliar words • Main characters • Retell the story in own words • Problem/Solution in the story

6. Weeks before • Start talking about the test. • Remind your child to • Always do his/her best on any test • Think about what the questions asking and relate some of the questions to his/her own experiences (whenever possible) • Ask questions about the directions if they are not clear • Go back and reread whenever they are unsure about a question or answer

7. The Day of Testing • Get a good night's sleep the night before the test • Eat breakfast the day of the test and bring a healthy snack to school • Wear comfortable clothes on the day of the test • Let your child know that he or she should take the test seriously and do his or her best

8. Think Aloud Activity • We are going to walk you through the steps of how to help your child approach multiple-choice items. • This activity incorporates a story and comprehension questions, similar to the questions assessed on the ISAT. • See activity.

9. Think Aloud Activity Main Points • Read through all of the questions thoroughly. • Make notes in the book. • Eliminate the “nonsense” answers and other answers that may not work. • Tentatively answer questions cognitively before reading. • Read the text and underline or circle important words and other pieces of information that may help you answer the questions correctly.

10. Think Aloud Main Points (continued) • Remember you may go back and REREAD for information. • Choose the BEST answer before moving on to the final questions in the section. • Review the answers and be sure you have answered all of the questionsfor the activity.

11. Trouble Areas according to ISBE • Homonyms • Fable/folk tale/legend/myth/fairy tale/essay • Organizational patterns • Mood and tone • Point of view • Irony • Genre Obtained on January 4, 2010 on the World Wide Web from http://www.isbe.net/assessment/pdfs/2010/ISAT_reading.pdf.

12. Difficult Terminology • Inference • Main idea vs. supporting detail • elements of fiction • author’s message • type of writing • character foil • cause/effect • identifying genre of a passage Obtained on January 4, 2010 on the World Wide Web from http://www.isbe.net/assessment/pdfs/2010/ISAT_reading.pdf.

13. ISAT WRITINGAreas of Difficulty for students in Illinois Students have difficulty making the distinction between narrative and expository writing when the expository text contains some dialogue, and events occur in time order.

14. ISAT WritingGrades 3 & 5 2010 Writing Genre: Expository Writing

15. What is Expository Writing? • Expository writing requires the students to explain, interpret, or describe what is asked for in the prompt.

16. Example of a 3rd Grade Expository Writing Prompt More and more attention is being given to health and physical fitness. Think about what students can do to be healthy and fit. Write an expository composition explaining ways to be healthy and physically fit. Explain why healthy habits are important.

17. Example of a 5th Grade Expository Writing Prompt Visiting special places can be fun and exciting. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why would you go there? What would you do? Write an expository composition describing ONE special place you would like to visit. Include why you would go there and what you would see and do there. Be sure to include specific details and descriptions.

18. How Are Students Assessed? • Students are assessed using a grade level writing rubric. The rubric is based on a six-point scale and the following features: Focus Support/Elaboration Organization Integration (Score is doubled) Conventions (3 points)

19. Let’s Talk About Focus • Good focus – Purpose set with effective introduction, maintains position, and effective closing • Not So Good – General, launch, giant focus, focus drift, abrupt closing • Oh, Oh – Prompt dependent, off-mode, over-promise, insufficient writing

20. Let’s Talk About Support • Good – Specific detail, all points developed, balanced, word choice, voice • Not So Good – Some specific detail, some depth, inconsistent voice, sufficient writing • Oh, Oh – General, list-like, insufficient writing, voiceless, unclear

21. Let’s Talk About Organization • Good – Clear structure, appropriate paragraphs, shows coherence and cohesion, varied sentence structure • Not So Good – Structure evident, most transitions appropriate, may be somewhat formulaic, sufficient writing • Oh, Oh – Unclear structure, intrusive transitions, simplistic sentences, off mode, insufficient

22. Let’s Talk Conventions • Almost all student writing will contain some errors. • Scoring depends on the following: Major vs. minor errors The impact of errors on communication The density of errors

23. Let’s Talk About Integration • “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” • It is an evaluation of how everything works together to form the whole. SCORE: Focus + Support + Organization + Conventions + Integration + Integration

24. 2010 Cut Scores

25. Closing Thoughts • State writing scores compare favorably to those across the country. Illinois eighth graders scored among the top tier of states on the NAEP writing assessment. • Scorers are trained in the ISAT rubric and scoring guides. They are subject to continuous review and are instructed to err on the side of the student.

26. Closing ISAT QUIZTrue or False • Students must have a five-paragraph formulaic strategy. • More words are always better! • The quality of handwriting does not affect the score. • Insufficient writing can be an issue for all features. • The highest score is 33.

27. ISAT Writing Reports • You will receive an ISAT Report for your child next year.

28. Finally, Let’s Look at Some Writing Samples! Be sure to visit the ISAT website for more samples and information. www.isbe.state.il.us/assessment/ISAT.htm

29. ISAT Math Grades 3, 4 ,5

30. Types of Questions • Extended Response • Short Response • Multiple Choice • Three 45 – minutes sessions (with 10 additional minutes if needed)

31. Extended Response • Two extended response questions • Word problem format • Students need to answer the question and explain the “what” and the “why” for the problem. • Grade specific rubric

32. Sample

33. Ways to Practice • When students complete any math problem have them explain the “what” and “why” • Review the grade specific rubric at home • Use a t-chart when completing word problems

34. T Chart

35. Short Response • 3 short response questions

36. Multiple Choice • 70 questions over 2 test sessions • Select the best answer • ***Double-check work***

37. Multiple Choice Sample

38. Question/Answer Session If you have questions, we will be here until 7:45 p.m. to help address your concerns. Additional questions or concerns may be addressed via e-mail: MBusky@district158.org DCravens@district158.org NJones@district158.org Thank you for attending and have a great evening! Mrs. Busky, Mrs. Cravens, & Mrs. Jones

39. ISAT Resources • Illinois State Board of Education website: http://www.isbe.net/assessment/isat.htm • All handouts will be accessible online tomorrow. • Go to www.district158.org • Select Schools-Conley-Teachers-Mrs. Busky, 3rd Grade