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ISAT Illinois State Achievement Tests. 4 th Grade 2009-2010 Mrs. Gorges & Mrs. Dionesotes. What is the purpose of the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT)?.
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ISATIllinois State Achievement Tests 4th Grade 2009-2010 Mrs. Gorges & Mrs. Dionesotes
What is the purpose of the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT)? • The Illinois Standards Achievement Test measures individual student achievement relative to the Illinois Learning Standards. The results will be used by parents, teachers, and schools as one measure of student learning. The state uses the results to report student achievement to the public.
What are the Illinois Learning Standards (ILS)? • The Illinois Learning Standards define what all students in all Illinois public schools should know and be able to do in the seven core areas as a result of their elementary and secondary schooling.
Item Formats • Aligned to the Illinois Reading Assessment Framework, which defines the elements of the Illinois Learning Standards • Multiple Choice: requires students to read and reflect and select what they believe the answer to be • Extended-response: requires students to demonstrate an understanding of a passage by explaining key ideas using textual evidence and by using this information to draw conclusions or make connections.
Reading • Session 1: 55 minutes • 6 shorter passages-30 multiple choice items total • Session 2: 55 minutes • Two longer passages consisting of: 1 expository passage with 10 multiple choices items; 1 literary passage with 10 multiple choice items; 1 extended-response item • Session 3: 55 minutes • 2 shorter passages each of which are followed by 5 multiple-choice items; 1 longer passage followed by 10 multiple-choice items; 1 extended-response item
Item Content • All 75 items are aligned to the Illinois Mathematics Assessment Framework • Multiple-choice • Short-response • Extended-response **Students are allowed to use a calculator.
Math • Session 1 - 55 minutes ~40 multiple-choice items • Session 2 - 55 minutes ~30 multiple-choice items 3 short- response • Session 3 - 55 minutes ~2 extended-response items
Item Contents • Session 1 - 55 minutes ~41 multiple-choice items • Session 2 - 55 minutes ~41 multiple-choice items
Testing • March 2nd- 13th • 8 sessions • 3 Reading • 3 Math • 2 Science • 55 minutes each • Usually 2 tests per day • Usually begin with the Reading tests
Test Preparations • Illinois Learning Standards (all year) • Test Taking Skills (all year) • ISAT Reading and Math Coach books (Jan/Feb) • Compass Learning (math and reading) (all year) • Gizmo (science) (Jan/Feb.) • Brainpop (science) (review topics-Jan./Feb.) • Extended Response to Reading (Jan/Feb.) • Extended Response to Math (problem Solving) (Dec.-Feb.) • After school ISAT club (Jan./Feb.)
Helpful Websites • ISAT Practice Test (includes practice test, additional information on ISAT, and additional practice sites for both Reading and Math) • Interactive ISAT Practice Sites (scroll down to “Web Sources” – click on the various ISAT links)
Ways for Parents to help • Monitor school work and making sure they are taking their time, reading directions, going back to find the answers, etc. • Compass Learning • Review Interactive Practice Test with child, and discuss questions and strategies during practice
Reading Strategies • Read all answer choices, ELIMINATE, incorrect answers • Underline answers in Reading Passage Extended Response ~Complete Theme chart using both themes and specific examples from the reading passage
Math Strategies • Show all work when figuring out a problem • Use a calculator for help • Read all choices, and, eliminate incorrect answers Extended Response ~Show all work, including steps taken to solve problem. ~Label Answer ~Include all steps on what was done to solve problem, and explain why the steps were done.
Science Strategies • Read all answer choices • Eliminate incorrect answers • Use prior knowledge to help answer questions • Check to make sure the answer chosen matches the question
Challenges that students tend to have according to ISAT in Reading • Fable/folk tale/legend/myth/fairy tale/essay • Organizational patterns • Mood and tone • Point of view • Genre • main idea vs. supporting detail • inference • elements of fiction • author’s message • type of writing • cause/effect • identifying genre of a passage • Students have difficulty making the distinction between narrative and expository writing when the expository text contains some dialogue, and events occur in time order.
Additional Challenges • Items that require students to look back to a specific paragraph • Students don’t look back to confirm the answer for a particular section of the text • The meaning of antonym • Homonyms