2015 State Assessments Informational Meeting 7 th Grade What parents and students need to know

What test is 7 th grade taking?  March 2–13, 2015 Computer-Based (including Paper-Based Accommodations):  FSA Grades 8–11 English Language Arts Writing Component  April 13–May 8, 2015 Computer-Based:  FSA Grades 5–11 English Language Arts  FSA Grades 5–8 Mathematics  April 13–May 8, 2015 Paper-Based:  FCAT 2.0 Grades 5 and 8 Science  April 20–May 22, 2015 Computer-Based:  Biology 1, Civics, U.S. History Only applicable for students enrolled in these courses

Testing Calendar  See Handout #1

Why FSA?  With new, more rigorous standards in place to help Florida students succeed, the FCAT 2.0 no longer serves the purpose of measuring student progress and achievement.  Best serves Florida students by accurately measuring education gains and progress.  This new method of assessment will allow teachers to emphasize critical thinking, which will provide our students with even greater opportunities to succeed in college, career, and life.  The new test will provide a more authentic assessment of the Florida Standards, because it will include more than multiple choice questions. Students will be asked to create graphs, interact with test content and write and respond in different ways than on traditional tests.  New question types will assess students’ higher-order thinking skills in keeping with the higher expectations of the Florida Standards.

Types of Questions 7 th Grade Math (see handout #2)  Table Items  Matching Items  Grid Items with Action Buttons  Equation Response Items  Multi-Select Items  Multiple Choice Items  Hot Text Items  Open Response Items  Editing Task Items  Editing Task Choice Items

Sample Questions Middle School Math  GRAPHIC Response Sample (Visit for more info):

Types of Questions 7 th Grade ELA (see handout #3)  Item Types  Multiple Choice Items  Multiple- Select Items  Grid Items  Hot Text Items  Open Response Items  Evidence-Based Selective Response Items  Editing Task Items  Editing Task Choice Items  Multimedia/Listening Items

Sample Questions Middle School ELA  Hot Text Item Sample (Visit for more info):

Sample Questions Middle School ELA  Multimedia/Listening Item Sample (Visit for more info):

Writing Component

New FSA Writing Component  The FSA ELA includes the Text-Based Writing Component, administered separately from the rest of FSA ELA to allow time for hand scoring; will be reported as part of a single ELA score.  Writing component will be paper-based for grades 6 th and 7 th.  Students will have up to 120 minutes to complete the essay.  Students will be faced with either an argumentative or informative/explanatory prompt (see handout #4)

EOC – End of Course Exams

EOC’s  Subjects Tested:  Biology 1  Civics  U.S. History  Algebra 1  Algebra 2  Geometry  ONLY Middle School Students who are enrolled in those courses will be required to take the End of Course Exams.  ALL EOC’s are computer-based.

Where do we go from here?

Three-Tier Tutoring Program  After School Tutoring:  Mandatory for FCAT Levels 1 and 2  Monday & Wednesday (2:40 p.m. – 3:40 p.m.) – MATH  Tuesday & Thursday (2:40 p.m. – 3:40 p.m.) - READING  Saturday Tutoring:  FCAT Levels 3, 4, and 5  See Handout #5 for dates and times  Pull-Out Tutoring  Designed for bubble students  Students will be pulled-out of elective classes for 45 minutes

Rewards  Students who come to ALL Saturday and/or After School Tutoring:  Parents will receive ALL volunteer hours for the School Year  Students will participate in a Sundae Ice Cream Party and a raffle for:  Tablets  Gift Cards  Movie Tickets  Students will receive snacks at the end of the Saturday Tutoring Sessions

For more Information…  PowerPoint will be posted at  For more information on FSA Assessments, please visit   assessment/fsa.stml assessment/fsa.stml

Questions  Counselors, teachers and administrators will be available for questions at the end of this presentation.