October 7, 2014 Gould Media Center Mrs. Baker, Mrs. Bosse, Mrs. Cox, Mrs. DeVoe and Dr. Stein

 Introduction  Discuss GMAS  Sample Test Items  How students are preparing in school  What can parents do from home  Resources

 SRI- Reading  MAP- Math  GA-Milestone

 Scholastic Reading Inventory ◦ Score to meet Standards- 825 ◦ Skills tested- Inferences in Reading  Example  Mrs. DeVoe is putting on boots and a water proof jacket. She grabs the umbrella by the door.  Based on this reading you can determine that  A. It is cold outside  B. It is sunny outside  C. It is raining outside  D. It is warm outside. Testing Dates: Late August- already completed- ask you child’s teacher for the score January 6- February 27 March 23- May 15

 Measures of Academic Progress  Score to meet Standard- 225  Skills tested  Operations and Algebraic Thinking  Number and Operations  Measurement and Data  Geometry  Example ◦ Choose the expression(s) that equal 35  7 * 5=4*10-5=  (30 * 1) +5=7*8-9=  2+3*6 =175/5= Testing Dates: Late August- already completed- ask you child’s teacher for the score January 6- February 27 March 23- May 15

 Georgia Milestones Assessment System  Assess Knowledge and Skills in the following areas: I. Language Arts II. Mathematics III. Science IV. Social Studies

 open-ended (constructed-response) items in language arts and mathematics Open-ended questions are ones that require more than one word answers. The answers could come in the form of a list, a few sentences or something longer such as a speech, paragraph or essay.  a writing component (in response to passages read by students)

Designed to:  assess how well students are mastering content  Provide students with a better understanding of their own achievements “If you can think it, you can explain it. If you can explain it, you can do it.”

 ELA:  MATH:

 Learning and USING appropriate vocabulary in all subject areas  Writing in complete sentences  Using correct punctuation  Answering all questions using the R.A.C.E. method

How to Sound Smart Answering Constructed Response Questions

Address assessment targets and claims that are of greater complexity Require more analytical thinking and reasoning than a selected response can elicit Prepare students for the Georgia Milestone Assessment

Restate, Answer, Cite evidence, Explain 4-part strategy that TRAINS YOUR BRAIN to think about the most important steps in answering a question!

 Most constructed response items take between 3 and 5 minutes to complete.  Some more complex items may take up to 10 minutes to complete.  Response must include support from the text.

 Read the entire question.  Identify and underline key words in the question, such as: explain, name, provide examples.  Define any key terms needed for understanding. Before Beginning:

 Don’t start your answer off with “Yes,” “No,” “I believe,” or “I think.”  Don’t use the words They, He, She, It, or We in your first sentence.  The response should make sense even WITHOUT the prompt.

R estate A nswer C ite evidence E xplain

 You will find that writing good mathematical explanations will improve your knowledge and understanding of the mathematical ideas you encounter.  Putting an idea on paper requires careful thought and attention. ting.pdf

 Hence, mathematics which is written clearly and carefully is more likely to be correct.  The process of writing will help you learn and retain the concepts which you will be exploring in your math class ting.pdf

 Keeping journals / logs (chronological log of learning)  Solving a problem (allows students to monitor and reflect)  Explaining mathematical ideas (may or may not be about a math process / ex: write about what make a good problem solving partner, write about your least or most favorite task in a unit, etc.)

 You should not confuse writing mathematics with “showing your work”  A list of calculations without any explanation demonstrates that you’ve spent some time doing computations  When writing in math the goal will be to communicate mathematical reasoning and ideas clearly to another person ting.pdf

Restate, Answer, Cite evidence, Explain 4-part strategy that TRAINS YOUR BRAIN to think about the most important steps in answering a question!

    rade3_reading.html (change the grade in the hyperlink to your specific grade level) rade3_reading.html  Word Generation SERP  Periodicals related to your content  Passages or graphs and charts in your textbooks

Require students to speak in complete sentences Request that they are specific when referring to people, places, things, events, etc. in lieu of using words such as “it” “he” “she”. Ask them about their day and do not just accept “nothing” and have them be specific. Symbaloo- a webmix that allows students to access a variety of websites where they can practice skills in every subject. 22