March 26, 2013

Glenoaks Elementary

What is the STAR?What is the STAR?STAR – Standardized Testing and Reporting

Program which includes CST, CMA, & CAPA

Who takes the CST?Who takes the CST?Every student in grades 2 through 11, across the

state

What is the purpose of the What is the purpose of the CST?CST?

Measure performance (ex: student, grade level, school, district)

Demonstrate individual growth within a school yearDemonstrate mastery of grade level standards

What are the CMA & CAPA?

• CMA is for students in grades 3, 4, & 5 who: --have an IEP plan; --scored Below Basic/Far Below Basic on a previous CST --are not eligible to take the CAPA

• CAPA is for students with significant disabilities

What are the What are the California State California State Standards?Standards?

Defining the knowledge, concepts, and skills that students should acquire in each content area at each grade level.

How is studentHow is student’’s s performance on the performance on the test measured?test measured?

Scale score ranges of performance

Different for each grade level, content area and test year

Advanced

Proficient

Basic

Below Basic

Far Below Basic

Academic Performance

Index

Measures the academic performance and growth of schools on a variety of measures.

API shows how much a school is improving from year to year.

A school’s API is a number that ranges from 200 to 1000 and is calculated from the results for each school’s students on state-wide tests.

Academic Performance Index Trend Analysis

Created by Dr. Marine Avagyan

6

What does the CST look What does the CST look like?like?

Sample test questions released by CDE

Fourth Grade:Timothy has outgrown his bicycle and wants to sell it through the local

newspaper.

In which section should he look to find examples of what he needs to write in order

to sell his bike?

a. Local News

b. Classified Ads

c. Entertainment

d. Letters to the Editor

Created by Dr. Marine Avagyan

9

The word inspected contains the Latin root spect. What

does spect mean?

a.Use

b.Look

c.Take

d.Need

Created by Dr. Marine Avagyan

10

Anna bought 3 bags of red gumballs and 5 bags of white

gumballs. Each bag of gumballs had 7 pieces in it. Which

expression could Anna use to find the total number of

gumballs she bought?

a.(7x5)+3=

b.7x(5+3)=

c.(7x3)+5=

d.7+(5x3)=

What does the CST look What does the CST look like?like?

Sample test questions released

5th Grade Science Test

Which of the following is a property of CO2 gas?

a. It feels like a rock

b. It smells like a lemon

c. It is colorless

d. It is hard

Created by Dr. Marine Avagyan

12

Which best describes a parallel circuit?

a.Electricity flows along one pathway

b.The flow of electricity comes from one source

c.Electricity flows along more than one pathway

d.The flow of electricity comes from more than one

source

Group ActivityGroup Activity

At each table you will find directions for the activity with:

Questions your group must answerPractice tests

Work as a team to answer the questions and be prepared to share.

13

Discussion QuestionDiscussion Question

What skills are being tested?

What skills does a student need to have to be

successful on this test?

What kind of practice does a student need to

prepare for this?

How successful were YOU in taking this test?

How successful do you think your child would be

if he/she were to take this test?

14

15

“You don’t start preparing for a test a couple of days before. You begin when you walk into the classroom that very first day… Everything you do in a course –

attending class, listening carefully, taking good notes,

doing homework and assigned readings – helps you study for

tests.” Ron Fry

Preparing for TestingPreparing for Testing

16

Teacher:

•Focus on teaching the CA State Content Standards

•Teach, assess, intervene, reteach

•Communicate regularly with families regarding concerns

•Notify students of the test dates in advance

•Teach test-taking skills and strategies

Preparing for TestingPreparing for Testing

17

Parent:•Make sure your child ~attends school daily ~is on time daily ~is well rested

•Note test dates on your calendar, schedule appointments on non-testing dates

•Help your child learn how to find information independently

•Encourage your child to ask questions at home and in class

•Know your child’s teacher and conference with him/her on a regular basis for progress reports

Preparing for TestingPreparing for Testing

18

Student:•Get good night’s rest and eat a normal breakfast before testing

•Use the bathroom before going to class

•Follow directions and listen closely to any instructions

•Always read the directions twice

•Always double check your work

•Relax

•Budget your time

•Don’t worry about how fast other people finish their test; concentrate on your own test

•When you are finished, go back and check!!!

“Jail” the Detail!

• Highlight, underline, or circle the details in the questions. This helps you focus on exactly what the question is asking you to do.

Mr. Detail

Be Slick and• Predict what the! answer is BEFORE you read the choices.

“I think the

answer is …”

Plug it in, Plug it in!• Once you have

chosen your answer, plug it in and make sure that it makes sense! (this works really well with vocabulary questions).

Keep On Keeping On!• If you get to a

couple of questions that you just don’t know, don’t give up! Keep trying your best!

If you SNOOZE, You will LOSE!

• Don’t leave a question unanswered. You will not have ANY chance of getting it right.

“UNPACK” the Question!

Underline key words

Number the parts of the ?

Plan how you will answer

Answer using specific details

Check off each part as you do it

Keep up the great work

Be Smart With Charts, Recipes, Menus, Emails & Zap the Maps!

• Charts, recipes, menus, emails, and maps provide information that you can use to answer questions! Analyze ALL information provided before answering the questions!

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

If the directions say read…. READ! Pay close attention to signal words in the directions, such as explain, interpret, and compare.

Be a Whiz…with the Grid!

• Beware! If the answer is not bubbled in exactly right… YIKES! It will be wrong!

Check It Out!When you have completed the test, go back and check your work!

Quick Tips for Multiple Choice TestsQuick Tips for Multiple Choice Tests

Read the question before you look at the answerCome up with the answer before looking at possible

answersRead the whole question. Don’t skip over words.Look at the pictures. They might have a clue.Eliminate answers you know aren’t rightRead all the choices before choosing your answerIf you are really stuck, make an educated guess and

select an answerBe neat and fill in all bubbles completely

29

CST Preparation

Glenoaks Resource

http://glenoakssuperstar.edublogs.o

rg/

Testing at Glenoaks

APRIL 22 – MAY 3, 2013Grades 2 & 3English Language Arts (3 sections)Math (3 sections)

Tuesday, March 6, 2012Grade 4 & 6 Grade 4English Language Arts (2 sections) Writing Task

(one section)Math (2 sections)

Grade 5English Language Arts (2 sections)Math (2 sections)Science (2 sections)

Estimated Time

Grade 2 & 3 50 minutes each section

Grades 4, 5, 6 Grade 4 ELA—85 minutes Writing Task—60 minutes

Math—75 minutes

Grade 5 Science—70 minutes