Reading Boardwalk: 8 th Grade Benchmarks

2. From the Florida Department of Education www.fcatexplorer.com Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Program Overview

3. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Interactive practice program Interactive program offers practice on the FCAT-tested benchmarks Reinforces reading comprehension skills Available at no costto all Florida public schools Accessible from any computer connected to the Internet

4. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Fidelity with the Official FCAT Strict adherence to the Sunshine State Standards and the DOE’s Test Item & Performance Task Specifications • Rigorous item development process • Items drafted by reading teachers and professional item writers • Items reviewed by instructional designers, testing specialists, bias reviewers, and professional editors

5. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Input from Education Professionals • Exemplary classroom teachers • Recommended for expertise in subject area and grade level • National Board Certified • Recipients of Teacher of the Year awards • Experienced as FCAT coach and/or reading coach • Masters’ degrees

6. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Passages and Practice Items

7. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks FCAT-like Practice PASSAGES • 60 passages written to support FCAT-like practice on all tested benchmarks • Topics drawn from other Sunshine State Standardssubject areas • Science • Social Studies • The Arts • Health & Physical Education

8. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks FCAT-like Passages • Same average length and readability level as on the FCAT • Variety of passage types: poems, articles, and stories • Reviewed by teachers for interest & readability • Reinforced by photographs and illustrations

9. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks FCAT-like Practice Items • Rigorous item development process • Written by professional item writers • Reviewed and approved by teachers • Revised as needed based on statistical item analysis • Same average number of items per passage as on the FCAT • Number of items per skill based on teacher recommendation for struggling readers • No fewer than 5 items per skill • From 5 to 50 items per benchmark • Same type, style, format, scope, & cognitive levelas on the FCAT

10. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks FCAT-like Practice PRACTICE ITEMS • 694 FCAT-like practice items: • 362 Multiple Choice • 135 Short-Response • 37 Extended-Response • 52 Open-Response (OR/SR & OR/ER) • 108 Main Idea Application (MC) • Many items reflect real-world activities and situations

11. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks FCAT-like Practice MULTIPLE CHOICE (MC) Careful review of every item for psychometric criteria • Item must clearly support skill • Only plausible choices • All answer choices are parallel (e.g., grammatical form) • One clearly best answer • Correct answer supported in the text

12. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks FCAT-like Practice Items SIMULATED SRs & ERs • Short-response items: Compare two responses & select the high score • Extended-response items: Read one response & assign a high or partial score • Simulation strategies recommended by teachers • Based on classroom instructional practices • Requires student to compare or assess critical attributes

13. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks FCAT-like Practice Open Response (OR) • Students composeoriginal answers • Read high-score sample response • Read explanation of attributes that earn sample response a high score • Compare student’s original composition to high-score sample response

14. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks LET’S STOP AND THINK • Content questions posed throughout passage • Correct answer identified • Highlighted selections in yellow suggest correct answers • Recognition of crucial content in reading passages reinforced

15. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Instructional Support

16. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Instructional Support • 1ST ATTEMPT CORRECT • Auditory congratulations • Correct answer explanation (CAE) • Confirms which answer is correct • Explains attributes that make the answer correct • Provides option to review passage and confirm how passage supports correct answer

17. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Instructional Support • 1ST ATTEMPT INCORRECT • Informs student that selection is incorrect • Delivers hint or takes student to yellow-highlighted passage offering guidance to correct answer • Provides second chance to answer correctly

18. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Instructional Support • 2nd ATTEMPT CORRECT or INCORRECT • Congratulations or notification that selected answer is incorrect • CAE (correct answer explanation) as well as feedback on the incorrect answer • Option to review passage and confirm how passage supports correct answer

19. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Main Idea Workshop • InstructionalSupport • Three-Step Strategy: • Step 1—Identify the Who or What • Step 2—Identify the Most Important Point • Step 3—Identify the Most Important Point about Who or What • Utilizes interactive graphic approach with photographs • Illustrates main idea concept in paragraphs and passages

20. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Special Features

21. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Special Learning Features VIEW QUESTIONS • Allows students to preview item stems(not answer choices) • Helps students establish a purpose for reading • Teacher-requested feature View Questions

22. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Special Learning Features Passage GLOSSARY Clickthe word nautical to view that glossary entry • Linked (blue) words in passage • “Ear icon” to hear word pronounced • Definition • Example to show use • Spanish and Haitian Creole translations Glossary entry

23. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks • Explorer’s Report • Daily reports of student progress • School Year reports of cumulative progress • Custom reports for specific dates • Shows the number of practice items attempted and percentage correct for each benchmark

24. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks • CHALLENGE LIST • Available any time from the “Start Reading” home page • Displays performance results and allows access to incorrectly answered questions • Helps students to be aware of areas of strength and weakness

25. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Motivational Features

26. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Motivational Features • Animated Vocabulary Games • Earn points for correct answers • Play one of three vocabulary games upon completing three passages and accompanying items • Scoring tally for correct responses • Repetition of question for incorrect responses

27. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Motivational Features • HIGH-INTEREST PASSAGE TOPICS • Topics drawn from other subject areas in the Sunshine State Standards • Passages reviewed by 8th grade teachers for potential to interest struggling 8th grade students

28. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Motivational Features • PHOTOGRAPHS AND ILLUSTRATIONS • Reinforce important ideas in the passage • Pique curiosity • Maintain attention & endurance • Help students perceive reading as an interesting activity

29. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Educators’ Tools

30. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Educators’ Tools • Curriculum resources Classroom Teacher’s Desk • Skills location map • Table of benchmarks and skills • Item review • Letter to parents School Administrator’s Desk • Information management tools • Sign-in names and passwords • Progress reports • Messages to students District Administrator’s Desk

31. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Student Performance Reports At the Classroom Teacher’s Desk • Check progress on individuals or classes • View reading data by benchmark, skill, or passage • Compare percentage correct before and after instructional support

32. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks The Parent & Family Guide • Accessible from the home page without a password • Available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole • Helps parents, guardians, and mentors understand the Sunshine State Standards and the FCAT • Provides Everyday Activitiesto help parents reinforce benchmarks and skills

33. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Educator Resources Page • Linked from the home page • Download this PowerPoint presentation • Download the School Administrator’s Desk Manual • Download the Teacher’s Desk Manual • Download other presentations • Reading Focus Overview • Math Focus Overview • Program-specific presentations

34. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks Toll-Free Help Desk • Accessible from the home page without a password • 1-888-750-FCAT1-888-750-3228 • Weekdays 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

35. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks To get sign-in names & passwords School Principals: Contact your district office and speak to the district administrator for the FCAT Explorer Teachers: Contact your school administrator for the FCAT Explorer FCAT Explorer Home Page (www.fcatexplorer.com)

36. Reading Boardwalk: 8th Grade Benchmarks www.fcatexplorer.com Log on to the FCAT Explorer!