Parent Support Services Tips to Help Your Child Succeed on Standardized Tests Baltimore County Public Schools Department of Professional Development Parent Support Services Materials: Guest Sign-In Sheet Evaluation IHandouts: Packet Power Point presentation What BCPS Parents Should Know About … Reading Comprehension Fluency Vocabulary Games to Build Vocabulary MSDE – A Parent’s Guide to the MSA Tour of BCPS Public Web Site A Parents Guide to MSDE Give out and hold up Test-Taking Skills and Strategies Reflecting on Your Involvement Resource Table Parent Support Services Tri-fold Parents and Schools Together Developing character in Students for the 21st Century Organize Critical Thinking Bookmark A Year of Parent Involvement Conference Questions = Elementary & Secondary Helping With Homework Homework & Study Skills Checklist Science Family Day Trips Social Studies Family Day Trips Be A Strategic Reader Math Resources for Students and Parents Resources Centers for Families and Schools Learning Calendar PTA – 10 Things Schools/Teachers Wish Parents Would Do Top 10 Things Parents Need to Know about HSAs The Alternate Maryland School Assessment September 2011

Objectives By the end of this presentation participants will be able to: Review standardized tests required by the Maryland State Department of Education By viewing this PowerPoint presentation, parents will be able to achieve the following objectives. September 2011

Objectives - continued By the end of this presentation participants will be able to: Identify parent involvement practices that prepare students for success on important tests. Access resources that support learning at home. By viewing this PowerPoint presentation, parents will be able to achieve the following objectives. September 2011

Reason for Standardized Testing Standardized tests: Measure students’ academic progress. Evaluate a school’s performance. Identify information that can help teachers and parents better support students’ school work. September 2011

Maryland State Assessment MSA http://www. mdk12 Reading and math tests given statewide to students in grades 3-8. A science test is given to students in grades 5 and 8. MSA is required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. A fourth bullet: Parents should be made aware that often the MSA score will determine placement in middle school. Tests your child will be asked to take will be the Maryland School Assessment (MSA), High School Assessment (HSA), and SAT. MSA is a reading, math (gd. 3-8 in March) and science (gd. 5 & 8 in April & May) test given to elementary and middle school students every spring. You may ask, What can I do as a parent to help my child succeed on standardized tests? Testing events are a time for parents to be involved in their child’s education by providing opportunities for parents to help their child feel confident, well-prepared, and ready to succeed. Go to MSDE website and show test samples September 2011

Maryland State Assessment MSA: Includes multiple-choice, short answer, and long answer questions. Measures how well students have learned the curriculum. Produces scores for students, schools, districts, and the state. Hold up and refer to “A Parent’s Guide” MSDE Orange Booklet September 2011

MSA and Students with Special Needs Accommodations Mod-MSA Alt-MSA Refer to MSDE trifold’s: “The Modified School Assessment (Mod-MSA), The Alternate Maryland School Assessment (Alt-MSA) 2009 September 2011

Maryland High School Assessments (HSA) Algebra/Data Analysis Biology English Refer to MSDE: “ Top 10 Things Parents Need to Know About the HSAs” Hold up and briefly review September 2011

Attendance Counts! Make sure your child attends school every day. Schedule appointments during after-school hours. Plan vacations during school breaks. Model being on time. September 2011

Good Health = Good Test Scores Encourage your child to eat a nutritious breakfast every day. Establish a regular routine for bedtime. Encourage daily exercise. September 2011

Read! Read! Read! Strong reading skills are important for test success: Comprehension Fluency Vocabulary Baltimore County Public Schools provides several resources to assist parents with supporting their child from home. These resources include parent brochures, conferencing questions to consider and information on ways to support learning at home. The Parent Support Services page on the BCPS Web site also has several resources to support parental involvement. Provide at resource tables the documents What BCPS Parents Need to Know About Comprehension, Fluency, and Vocabulary available at stations. September 2011

Relieve Test Anxiety Share the following tips with your child: Read the directions – carefully. Skim quickly through the test. Limit your time when stuck on a question; you can go back to it. Remember how well you have done in the past. Share these tips to encourage your child during testing days. September 2011

Test Results School systems send test reports out over the summer. Reports contain MSA results for your child, your child’s school, BCPS, and the state. A Parent’s Guide to the MSA includes a detailed sample score report. You will receive your child’s reading and math scores most likely over the summer. September 2011

Tips for Creating a Home Environment That Encourages Learning Insure homework completion. Helping With Homework Homework and Study Skills Checklist Know what your child is learning in school. Articulated Instruction Module K-12 Ask questions that encourage your child to think. Monthly Learning Calendar for Families Introduce your child to a variety of learning opportunities. Science Family Day Trips Social Studies Family Day Trips Model being on time. A Year of Parent Involvement Share your own experiences. What type of activities/conversations should occur within the home to achieve a home environment that encourages lifelong learning? September 2011

Family Learning Practices Set high expectations for your child. Make it clear that school should be priority #1. Help your child set learning goals. Be positive about school. Celebrate success. Advise participants to revisit Reflecting on Your Involvement to see if they would make any changes as a result of this presentation. Review the Reflecting on Your Involvement handout. What would you add or delete so that your involvement supports preparing your child for standardized tests? September 2011

Additional Resources Baltimore County Public Schools’ Parent Support Services Baltimore County Public Schools’ Curriculum & Instruction Baltimore County Public Schools’ Library Information Services-Student Resources Baltimore County Public Schools’ Math Homework Helpers Baltimore County Public Schools’ SAT Review Visit each of the links listed and give parents a tour to show them helpful resources. Invite parents to visit resource tables September 2011

Reference Maryland State Department of Education (revised July 2009), A Parent’s Guide to the MSA (Maryland Classroom Vol. 13, No. 1). Baltimore, Maryland. http://www.MarylandPublicSchools.org September 2011

Contact Information Department of Professional Development Parent Support Services 410-887-0365 http://www.bcps.org/offices/dpd/pss.html September 2011