Welcome to my world! You need to know that Maryland students from grade three and up have faced this type of test for years now. Kids read multiple passages...answer essays and multiple choice questions. For us, test taking strategies are less important than building stamina... Yikes! Jennifer
All of this has worked in the past! However, this practice did not prepare the students for the lengthy selections this year. The breaks are built into the test (50 minutes, 3 minute break, 45 minutes, 3 minute break, 45 minutes) so we have no control over that unless the student has an IEP or 504 which allows for other modifications. There is an online survey that we will complete tomorrow about this new test and I plan on being quite blunt on the fact that 8 very long selections is too much for 3-5 grade students. These kids are 8-11 years old! I believe that is the only way for us to communicate with the state department on this issue. -----Original Message----- From: Angela Almond <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Sent: Wed, 21 May 2008 4:11 pm Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] End of Grade Testing I think our school does a wonderful job at teaching test taking as a genre. For example, after teaching determining importance using non-fiction trade books and children's literature, we go into main idea and teach them the kinds of questions they might see on a test that are asking about main idea and we practice with short selections and one or two questions, just like you do. I actually use Test Talk lessons in my room and they are wonderful. We teach the kids to use RUNNERS (Read the title and predict, Underline key words in the questions, Number the paragraphs, Now, read the selection and Enclose key words, Reread the questions and answer yes or no, Select the best answer by analyzing) when taking these types of tests. All of this has worked in the past! However, this practice did not prepare the students for the lengthy selections this year. The breaks are built into the test (50 minutes, 3 minute break, 45 minutes, 3 minute break, 45 minutes) so we have no control over that unless the student has an IEP or 504 which allows for other modifications. There is an online survey that we will complete tomorrow about this new test and I plan on being quite blunt on the fact that 8 very long selections is too much for 3-5 grade students. These kids are 8-11 years old! I believe that is the only way for us to communicate with the state department on this issue. I am glad to see others are having the same issues. I just wish we could come up with some solutions! [email protected] writes: >Although in MN we don't have tests like the ones described here, we too = >have been discussing and debating the importance of test practice. = >Although our reading instruction is done through wonderful children's = >literature and non-fiction text, the learners are tested on short = >passages -- read 3 paragraphs and answer 5 questions. >=20 >I hate to admit this to this group, but until now test practice has been = >our best weapon! A few of us have decided to (buy and) study Test Talk = >(Greene & Melton) this summer and teach test taking as a genre next = >year. =20 >=20 >Are you allowed to break the test into sections? Test/Break/Test >=20 >Can you speak to someone in your state office? (Dept. of Educ?) We = >have test-writers who listen to teachers and sometimes make adjustments. >=20 >I was going to comment on the grade you teach, but frankly the = >conditions you describe would probably challenge most of US! >=20 >By the way, does student promotion depend on these results? Or is it = >like the MN test which is really testing the teachers? Angela Hatley Almond Fourth Grade East Albemarle Elementary School _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
