Orange County Public Schools
Parent Academy
February 3, 2015
Orange County Public Schools
Significant Changes in 2014-2015
• New Statewide Assessments
• New State-Required Locally Created End of Course Assessments
• New Achievement Levels
• Changes to Accountability
Orange County Public Schools
• Aligned to the Florida Standards
• Replaces most FCAT 2.0 assessments in the 2014-15
school year • New look and changed features
Orange County Public Schools
• All computer-based except in Grades 3 and 4 and Grades 4-7 Writing.
Florida Standards Assessments
English/Language Arts Grades 3 through 11
Mathematics Grades 3 through 8
Writing Grades 4 through 11
NGSSS Science 5 and 8
Orange County Public Schools
www.FSAssessments.org
Visit the state’s website for… … FAQ … Schedules … Sample assessments … Test design information
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Orange County Public Schools
State-Required Locally Created End of Course Assessment Project
All courses not covered by a state or national assessment must have an assessment because …
… Florida Statutes 1008.22 and 1012.34
… Teacher performance evaluations are based on assessments
… Student Success Act requires it
… Race to the Top grant funding requires it
Orange County Public Schools
Participating teachers worked with each other and district staff to design quality assessments
• Emphasis on writing questions on the most important standards
• Questions to test student understanding of important content
OCPS teachers created the assessments
Orange County Public Schools
Most will be multiple choice, paper-pencil
• Kindergarten - 20 items verbally administered (teachers read items to students)
• 1st – 5th Grades - 30 items (some verbally)
• Middle Schools - 40 items • High Schools - 50 items
A small number of performance assessments will be piloted in some of our ESE and dance courses
State-Required Locally Created EOCs
Orange County Public Schools
Dates Assessment Grade Levels
January 12-15 2015
EOC Semester Exams Semester-long courses only (For semester courses only. Full-year courses will not be assessed until the end of the year)
April 27-May 15 2015
EOC Final Exams Elementary only
May 18-29 2015
EOC Final Exams Secondary only
State-Required Locally Developed EOC Assessment Calendar
Orange County Public Schools
Tips: Preparing your child at home • Perfect attendance: The more
often a child is in a learning environment, the more likely he/she will do well on tests.
• Encouragement: Celebrate the
things your child has done well throughout the school year.
• Promote reading: Students
that read for 40 minutes or more each night usually score at the 90th percentile on standardized assessments.
Orange County Public Schools
Tips: Preparing your child at home
• Homework supports classroom instruction. See that your child completes his/her homework assignments.
• Ensure your child memorizes basic
math facts. • Meet or talk with your child’s
teacher(s) as often as possible to discuss your child’s progress.
• Make sure your child is well rested
on school days.
Orange County Public Schools
Preparing your child for Testing Days
• Ensure that your child goes to bed early the night before a testing day.
• Try to reorganize afterschool activities so that your child
can be attentive and energized to perform his/her best. • Provide a high protein breakfast for your child; avoid sugary
cereals and donuts.
• Make sure your child is in attendance and on time for their scheduled testing day. Try scheduling a doctor’s appointment on a non-testing day. Most students don’t do as well when they have to take a test on a make-up day.
Orange County Public Schools
Info about Florida State Assessments: www.FSAssessments.org
FSA Resources www.achievethecore.org www.justreadflorida.com www.readworks.org www.newsela.com www.learnzillion.org