Basic Skills Test Overview & Practice

1. Basic Skills Test Overview & Practice ED100

2. YOUR QUESTIONS • On the post-it notes, please write any questions that you have that were not answered • Print your full name so that we can contact you with answers

3. PECT: PA Educator Certification TestsRequirements for Education Students in ED100 • You may be exempt from all or some of the tests based on ACT or SAT Scores, but if not… • Must register for and take either the PAPA (PDE) or the CORE (Praxis) tests in • Mathematics • Reading • Writing • Youmust provide your professor evidence that you have registered to take the tests • You will not be able to register for 200 level education courses until you have taken the Basic Skills Tests • Resources on Education Website

4. What are the PAPA and Core Basic Skills Tests? PAPA: Pre-service Academic Performance Assessment Core: Core Academic Skills for Educators Praxis ETS Computer-Delivered Test Timed Test Test of General Knowledge • PA Department of Education • Pearson Testing • Computer-Delivered Test • Timed Test • Test of General Knowledge

5. How do I register to take the tests? • PAPA or CORE • http://education.stvincent.edu/testing-info.html

6. How much do the tests cost? PAPA Core Fee Waiver available for both tests

7. PAPA Overall Format

8. Core Overall Format

9. Computer Delivered Demo & Practice You can view what the online test will be like and practice navigating the buttons and controls prior to testing. PAPA • https://www.testing.nesinc.com/cbttutorial/tutorial/Tutorial_Page_11.html (Computer Based Test Tutorial) CORE • https://www.ets.org/s/praxis/flash/cbt/praxis_cdt_demo_web1.html

10. Passing Scores See Handout

11. Receiving & Reporting Your Scores to SVC • You should designate SVC as one of the score recipients • Scores for tests that only have selected response questions will be available on the screen immediately after the test. • Scores for tests that contain constructed-response questions and essays • Approximately 2-3 weeks after the test

12. Test Taking Strategies From: https://casc.byu.edu/testtaking-strategies PAPA and Core Test Prep Materials

13. Guess? • Yes—your score is based on the number of questions you answer correctly, with no penalty for an incorrect answer. • MAKE sure you answer all of the questions. • Use your best guess on those you do not know.

14. Order of Questions/Skip Difficult Questions and Come Back to Them • You can answer questions in any order and come back to those you skipped. • You can mark skipped questions.

15. Trick Questions/Patterns • The tests contain no trick questions or patterns (i.e.: questions with the same answer 2 or 3 times in a row)

16. Scratch Paper is Allowed • YES—use this • It will be collected and destroyed when you are finished with the test.

17. Read carefully…and Reread • Many people answer incorrectly not because they did not know how to find the answer but because they did not read the question carefully. • There are questions that might have you select more than one answer • There will be questions that have a negative: “Which of the following is NOT…the correct …

18. Answering Multiple Choice Formulate your own answer before reading the options. • Focus on finding an answer without the help of the alternatives. • This process will increase your concentration. • Doing this will help you exercise your memory.

19. Answering Multiple Choice Eliminate unlikely answers first. • Quickly eliminating two alternatives may increase your probability to 50/50 or better.

20. Keep track of the time • There will be a clock on the screen that will tell you how much time you have left.

21. Time Left Over • GO back and check your answers! • You don’t want to make careless mistakes.

22. No personal items will be allowed in the test room • You may get a locker to store all items, but may just have a cubby—do not bring anything that is valuable • You will not have access to these items during the test session • You may even be asked to empty your pockets when you arrive • You cannot have water or food in the testing area • If you are taking all three tests in one day, you will get a 15 minute break between each test

23. Khan Academy • https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/new-sat • Test Prep for new SAT • Close to the content on the Basic Skills Tests

24. Writing PAPA and Core

25. Content: Writing • Write essays: Informative, Persuasive, Argumentative • Recognize Language and Mechanics Errors • Understand Research Skills

26. Example from Khan Academy SAT • https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/new-sat/new-sat-reading-writing/new-sat-writing-grammar/v/subordination-coordination-harder • https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/new-sat/new-sat-reading-writing/new-sat-writing-grammar/v/parallel-structure-harder

27. Look at each highlighted choice and consider why it might be correct incorrect

31. Core Essay: Argumentative (Agree/Disagree) & Source Based (Read Passages and Respond to a Prompt) • 30 minutes per essay • 6 point Holistic Rubric • Position/Thesis • Organization • Key Details • Writing Style • Grammar and Usage

32. PAPA Essay: Extended Constructed Response • Should be about 600 words long; 1000 words max • Will be typed on a computer • 4 point holistic rubric • Appropriateness • Focus and Unity • Organization • Development • Grammar and Conventions

33. Look through the different types of questions and then we are going to take a practice Writing Exam.When, we call time, you will check your answers and then meet with peers to share ideas about how to answer the questions.

34. Reading Passages PAPA and Core

35. Content: Reading • Main ideas • Point of View • Figurative Language • Theme • Meaning of words or phrases • Inferences • Evaluate information • Identify arguments, logical assumptions, draw conclusions, analyze content • Text structure: Cause/effect, etc.

36. Reading Example Khan (SAT) • https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/new-sat/new-sat-reading-writing/new-sat-reading/v/reading-science-passage • https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/new-sat/new-sat-reading-writing/new-sat-reading/v/reading-science-questions

37. Find Clues in the Text & Eliminate Answers

38. In groups, take a look at this passage and explain what can be eliminated and why

42. Look through the different types of questions and then we are going to take a practice Reading Exam.When, we call time, you will check your answers and then meet with peers to share ideas about how to answer the questions.

43. Math PAPA and Core

44. Content: Math • Algebra • Geometry • Statistics • Measurement • Probability • Mathematical Reasoning

45. Khan Academy Math Review • https://www.khanacademy.org/math/high-school-math/algebra/two-var-linear-equations/solutions-to-two-var-linear-equations/v/checking-ordered-pair-solutions-to-equations-2

46. Look through the different types of questions and then we are going to take a practice Math Exam.When, we call time, you will check your answers and then meet with peers to share ideas about how to answer the questions.