Math Testing Night

1. Math Testing Night What to know and How to prepare!

2. What is the North Carolina Testing Program? • Each year, our 3rd graders take the state EOG test. This test is multiple choice and has three parts: • Reading • Math – Calculator Active • Math – Calculator Inactive

3. How Are EOG Results Interpreted? • Ranked by achievement levels: level 4 being the highest, level 1 being the lowest. Most of these tests have no 'pass/fail;' they are intended to gather information about the skill levels of students as a whole, and for teachers and parents to evaluate how individual students are performing. • However, students in grades three, five and eight are required to score at achievement level 3 in order to be promoted to the next grade, unless the principal determines the child will be promoted based on other factors.

4. Test Make-up • Mathematics • This section addresses: • Number Sense, Concepts, and Operations • Measurement • Geometry and Spatial Sense • Algebraic Thinking • Data Analysis and Probability

5. EOG Math Standards

6. Achievement Level I: Students performing at Achievement Level I show minimal conceptual understanding and computational accuracy and often respond with inappropriate answers or procedures. They rarely use problem-solving strategies. Achievement Level II: Students performing at Achievement Level II typically show some evidence of conceptual understanding and computational accuracy and sometimes respond with appropriate answers or procedures. They demonstrate limited use of problem-solving strategies. Achievement Level III: Students performing at this level consistently demonstrate mastery of grade level subject matter and skills and are well prepared for the next grade level. Students performing at Achievement Level III generally show conceptual understanding, compute accurately, and respond with appropriate answers or procedures. They use a variety of problem-solving strategies. Achievement Level IV: Students performing at this level consistently perform in a superior manner clearly beyond that required to be proficient at grade level work. Students performing at Achievement Level IV commonly show a high level of conceptual understanding, compute accurately, and respond consistently with appropriate answers or procedures. They demonstrate flexibility by using a variety of problem-solving strategies.

7. How is the testing data used? Used to determine student proficiency. • What is being done to help ensure my child’s success on state testing and • throughout the year? -Monitored student progress throughout the year through classroom assessments, benchmarks, and teacher evaluations. - Monitored attendance and involvement - Remediation and Enrichment (Intervention) • What if my child does not reach a Level III or IV? In-school Intervention ( Retest Summer School Session Possible Retest • What if my child attends summer school but does not pass the retest at the • end of the session? Administration, teachers and parents conference • What if my child does not pass the retest? • What if I do/do not want my child retained? Important that students participate in all provided interventions and retests: Deciding factors: -Attendance-Homework-Student participation

8. Key Features of the Reading Comprehension Test • Reading and knowledge of vocabulary are assessed by having students read selections and then answer questions related to the selections. • The reading comprehension test at grades 3–5 consists of 52 items. • The selections on the test are reading materials chosen to reflect the variety of actual reading done by students in and out of the classroom. • Students read literary selections (i.e., fiction, nonfiction, and poetry) and informational selections (i.e., content and consumer). • The variety of selections allows for the assessment of reading for various purposes: for literary experience, to gain information, and to perform a task. • Key Features of the Mathematics Test • The mathematics test assesses student achievement in the five strands of the mathematics curriculum: (1) Number and Operations, (2) Measurement, (3) Geometry, (4) Data Analysis and Probability, and (5) Algebra. • The 82-item test (including field test items) is administered in two parts: • Calculator Active (54 questions) and Calculator Inactive (28 questions). • Students are allowed to use calculators during the Calculator Active part (66%) of the test. Students are not allowed to use calculators during the Calculator Inactive part (34%) of the test. • The mathematics tests are administered on two consecutive days.

9. WHAT CAN WE DO AT HOME TO PREPARE? • Prepare your Child • Work with your children after school it may help if you can set aside specific times during the week to sit down with them and answer their homework questions. Limit their television and video game time during the school week so they have plenty of time to study alone as well. • Anxiety • Too much anxiety about tests can be debilitating and result in poor performance. It can interfere with studying, cause difficulty with learning new material and even have a negative effective on a child's social interactions • A little anxiety can go a long way. It can get your child moving when it comes getting his school work done. But too much anxiety about tests can be debilitating and result in poor performance. It can interfere with studying, cause difficulty with learning new material and even have a negative effective on a child's social interactions. It's important to recognize when a student is suffering from test anxiety and what to do about it when he is to minimize any negative effects.

10. Suggestions to help your child cope with test anxiety: • Help him develop good study habits long before test time so he can feel comfortable and confident about the material • Encourage him with lots of positive reinforcement. Help him catch and correct his defeatism and replace it with positive thoughts • Make sure she's rested and well fed at test time • Help him develop a strategy for the test so he'll feel a sense of control • Remind him to ignore the other students! • Encourage him to shake off the test once he's finished it and turned it in. He needs a break! • Help him learn from mistakes on the test and build on successes. Let him know you're behind him all the way.

11. TEST ANXIETY • Test anxiety is a mental block and fed by negative thinking. But the specific thoughts that plague your child are clues to helping him. If he feels under-prepared, take specific steps for alleviating that feeling. If he feels like there's too much to do to get ready, help him get a handle on it by organizing his time and hatching a plan. Do whatever you can to help him/her come away from a test with a sense of accomplishment.

12. Don't Just Send Them Off to Take the Test! • A child may not realize that the test isn't the end of the world. Don't downplay its importance, but don't over emphasize it either. Stay in conversation about it and address any questions he has. Help them to know you're in it with them! • Make sure he/she gets enough sleep the night before he takes the test and eats a good breakfast on testing day • Be sure he/she has every tool he needs pencils, erasers, paper, a calculator, etc. • Let him talk about his fears or hesitations - help him to keep things in perspective • Plan a fun outing or special treat of some kind for after the test

13. Tips for Test Day • Read the instructions and ask anything that isn't clear • Answers the easier questions first. • Reads all answer choices • Fill in the ovals completely, erasing any stray marks • Check the question number against the number on the answer sheet • Numbers questions on his scratch paper so that he can easily find his work. • Don't linger too long on a single question - skip it and come back to it later. • Don't worry about running out of time