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NATIONAL ASSESSMENT PROGRAM – LITERACY AND NUMERACY Prepared for: Meanjin - ALEA Facilitated by: Patricia Hipwell . TODAY YOU WILL: Become familiar with the literacy demands of the national tests Consider how you can teach the literacy skills in your subject area
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NATIONAL ASSESSMENT PROGRAM – LITERACY AND NUMERACY Prepared for: Meanjin - ALEA Facilitated by: Patricia Hipwell
TODAY YOU WILL: • Become familiar with the literacy demands of the national tests • Consider how you can teach the literacy skills in your subject area • Develop activities for teaching the literacy skills • Think about how to embed the activities in a unit of work
There is growing evidence world wide that lack of central control of curriculum and assessment leads to greater variability of practice and standards of performance across schools. Attainment gaps within age groups widen. This spread of attainment is linked to social class and so having common, centralised expectations and standards makes for greater equity. (Gipps, 1999)
What are the tests testing? • Traditional skills associated with literacy ie reading and writing of print based texts • Mostly skills for which there are right and wrong answers in multiple choice format • Retrieving and using information from graphics • Skills of individuals – ‘typical’ performance rather than ‘best’ performance • Demonstration of skills within a time limit
Preparation for any test can be done in several ways: 1 Expose students to the style of questions – write tests/classroom activities that contain questions that mirror the question format
Language Conventions Year 7 47 Shade one bubble to show where the missing apostrophe (‘) should go. Peoples ideas about animals in zoos make me angry.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS ONE TYPE OF QUESTION?
1980’s Maths Survey for 11 year olds. They were able to ask the same question three ways and got very different levels of correct answers Three added to 14 makes _______ (97% correct) What number is three more than 14? (67% correct) What number is three bigger than 14? (54% correct) National tests can only ask it one way – so what would it tell us about children’s understanding of addition? (Stobart, 2008)
KEY WORDS Distinguish between the ‘TO DO WORDS’ (KEY TASK WORDS) and the ‘TO DO IT TO’ WORDS (KEY CONTENT WORDS)
PREPOSTIONS Increase the temperature by 5 o C Increase the temperature from 5 o C Increase the temperature to 5 o C
1128 divided by 36 As opposed to: ‘An army bus holds 36 soldiers. If 1128 soldiers are being bussed to their training site, how many buses are needed? The amount of energy, E units, used by an air-conditioner for temperatures in the range 20 o C to 30 o C is given by the rule E = 2T squared where T is the temperature in o C. How many units of energy are used when the temperature is 25o C?
2.Bolt on preparation – allocate time for test practice http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/prep10/aim/testing/index.html http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008468
3.Literacy audit - Identify the literacy demands of the national tests and embed these into units of work and day to day classroom teaching
4 Design assessment tasks with these literacies skills embedded in them
ASSESSMENT TASK CURRICULUM LITERACIES How do you decide what students need to DO? CURRICULUM KNOWLEDGES How do you decide what students need to KNOW?
LEVELS OF MAKING MEANING • Is the answer right there? • Do I have to think and search? • Does this question need what the author knows and I want to know? • Am I on my own here? Do I have to use what’s in my head? • Source: Year 3,5,7 literacy materials
TOP LEVEL STRUCTURE Comparison/contrast Problem/solution Cause/effect Description Sequencing Generalising
Numeracy Papers • No separate stimulus material • Questions are not grouped in strands • No measurement materials supplied (eg ruler, no press outs) • Not a separate mental computation section – inclusive within the test • Items are not sequenced from the easiest to the hardest • Includes questions where answers are not exact
There may be a number of questions where the response is open ended ie not exact. Alert students to the ‘negatives’ ie not true, not correct
Which student is approximately 80 m from the seat? Which shaded shape covers the greatest area? The length of the sausage string is closest? Which day did the most children visit the Animal Park? What will be the approximate cost of the word for the art class to make their frames?
Correcting incorrect spelling that has been identified It was good that finaly Jack was receeving the applause he deserved.
SPELLING HIGH FREQUENCY WORDS COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS
THE WEEKLY SPELLING TEST List words in alphabetical order Divide into syllables and put in stress marks Find 2 synonyms and 2 antonyms Find 3 rhyming words Illustrate each word Make a collage with letters from newspapers Spell with Scrabble or magnetic letters (Source: Stepping Out)
You need to multiply the length by the width of the room explained the carpet layer to calculate the number of square metres of carpet needed.
The symptoms of dehydration are obvious said the trainer and include such signs as very rapid weight loss and a raging thirst
African-Americans developed their own forms of Christian worship, including the early gospel songs (Spirituals) explained the historian and these were often based on Bible stories
Global Warming is without doubt the most significant problem facing the world today warned the Minister for the Environment and we ignore it at our peril
Although the kidneys are small organs by weight said the lecturer they receive a huge amount the blood pumped by the heart.
A mitre joint gives the best finish to the corner of a picture frame stated the instructor so I strongly recommend its use
WHOLE SCHOOL INVOLVEMENT IN PREPARATION • Nominate a focus are for the week – explicitly teach it! • Interpreting graphs • Writing sentences • Understanding KEY TASK WORDS • Punctuating direct speech • Inferring meaning • Using apostrophes • Identifying redundant information in word problems • Reformulating questions • etc
PANDA. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.