Welcome Parents to FCAT Night

Presented by the 4 th Grade Panthers

What is FCAT?

• Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test • Administered to students in grades 3-11 • Given to measure what students know in Reading, Mathematics, Writing, and Science • Fourth graders will take the FCAT Writing+, Reading, and Mathematics tests this year

Testing Dates

• February 12-15, 2008 – FCAT Writing+ • March 11-25, 2008 – FCAT Sunshine State Standards (SSS) Reading and Mathematics – FCAT Norm-Referenced Test (NRT) Reading and Mathematics

FCAT Writing+

FCAT Writing+

• There are two parts: – Writing Prompt Assessment – Multiple Choice Assessment • Students will have 45 minutes to complete each portion

Types of Writing Prompts

• EXPOSITORY: – Expository writing explains, defines, or tells how to do something • NARRATIVE: – Narrative writing tells a story that is either real of imagined

Prompts from the Past

EXPOSITORY NARRATIVE • Write to explain why you think a certain pet would • Tell a story about your most embarrassing be good for your moment.

classroom.

foods.

Write to explain why you think a

• Explain why it is important to eat healthy

classroom.

• Write to explain why you is always locked.

• Tell a story about the day the teacher surprised the would like to be a class.

particular person for a day.

Writing Rubric

• Student papers are scored using a 1-6 rubric based on the following guidelines: – Focus – Organization – Support – Conventions

Fourth Grade Rubric

Focus

1

May only minimally address topic

2

Is slightly related to topic or may offer little relevant information

3 4 5

Is generally focused on topic but may include extraneous or loosely related material Is generally focused on topic but may include extraneous or loosely related material Focuses on topic

6

Is focused on the topic

Fourth Grade Rubric

Organization

1

Does not exhibit organizational pattern; few, if any transitional devices

2

Little evidence of organizational pattern; may lack sense of wholeness

3

Organizational pattern attempted; although some transitional devices used lapses may occur

4

Organizational pattern evident, although some lapses may occur; demonstrates some sense of completeness

5 6

Has an organizational pattern, although some lapses may occur; paper demonstrates a sense of completeness Organizational pattern provides a logical progression of ideas; sense of wholeness and/or completeness

Fourth Grade Rubric

Support

1

Supporting ideas sparse; limited or immature word choice

2 3 4

Support is inadequate or illogical; limited or immature word choice Some support included; development lacks specific details; limited, predictable, vague word choice Some supporting ideas may contain specifics and details although development is uneven; word choice is adequate

5 6

Adequate development of supporting ideas; word choice is adequate, lacks precision Ample development of supporting ideas; mature command of language, precise word choice

Fourth Grade Rubric

Conventions

1 2

Frequent errors in sentence structure and usage may impede communication; common words may be misspelled; simple sentence construction Little variation in sentence structure; frequent errors in basic punctuation and capitalization; common words may be mispelled

3 4

Attempt to use variety in sentence structure; knowledge of conventions and mechanics and usage is usually demonstrated; commonly used words are usually spelled correctly Attempt to use variety in sentence structure; conventions of mechanics, usage, and spelling are generally followed

5

Various sentence structures used; convention of mechanics, usage, and spelling are generally followed; occasional errors do not impede communication

6

Various sentence structures used; sentences are complete (except for purposeful fragments); subject/verb agreement and verb/noun forms are generally correct

Now it’s time to look at sample student writing!

Writing+ Multiple Choice Test

• Addresses writing rubric: Focus, Organization, Support, and Conventions • Multiple choice questions are followed by several choices

Writing+ Sample Questions

1. Which subtopic from Lisa’s Writing Plan is off-topic and should be crossed of the plan?

A. What I did B. What I learned C. Why I like dogs D. Who went with me

Writing+ Sample Questions

2. Which sentence contains a detail that is unimportant to the story?

A. Sentence 1 B. Sentence 4 C. Sentence 7 D. Sentence 8

Writing+ Sample Questions

What You Can Do to Help

• Read!

• Provide writing materials • Be a writer yourself • Share some of your work related writing • Respond to your child’s writing by: – Keeping it positive!

– Being excited!

– Making suggestions for improvement when needed – Being the Coach…Not the Writer

FCAT Reading

FCAT Reading

• Types of Questions: – Multiple Choice (1 Pt) – Short Response (2 Pts) – Long Response (4 Pts) • The Reading SSS Assessment is broken up into two sessions (80 minutes each) • Students will answer approximately 50 questions which include 5-7 short or long response questions • Students will also take the Reading NRT during the 2 nd week of testing (one session)

FCAT Reading

• Reading questions are based on the Sunshine State Standards benchmarks: – LA.4.1.6.2 Vocabulary – LA.4.1.7.2 Author’s Purpose – LA.4.1.7.3 Main Idea, Details, Sequence – LA.4.1.7.4 Cause and Effect – LA.4.1.7.7 Compare and Contrast – LA.4.2.1.2 Plot Development/Resolution – LA.4.2.2.1 Reference and Research

Types of Reading Passages

• Literary Text 50% – Short Stories, Literary Essays, Excerpts, Poems, Historical Fiction, Fables and Folk Tales, and Plays • Informational Text 50% – Subject-Area Text, Magazine and Newspaper Articles, Diaries, Editorials, Informational Essays, Biographies, Autobiographies, How-To Articles, Advertisements, Tables and Graphical Presentations of Text • Passage Length Ranges from 100-900 Words (Average 400 Words per Passage)

Complexity Levels

• The complexity of questions are based on Webb’s Depth of Knowledge: – Low (read the lines) – Moderate (read between the lines) – High (read beyond the lines)

Now it’s time to look at a sample reading passage!

What You Can Do to Help

• Read!

• Provide reading spaces at home • Be a reader yourself!

• Ask your child questions about what they read • Connect reading and writing

FCAT Math

FCAT Math

• Students will take two sessions of the FCAT SSS on the same day with a break in between • They will have about 120 minutes to answer approximately 50 multiple choice questions • Students will also take the Math FCAT NRT during the second week of testing

The Five Strands of Math

• Number Sense • Measurement • Geometry and Spatial Sense • Algebraic Thinking • Data Analysis and Probability

Number Sense

Measurement

Geometry and Spatial Sense

Algebraic Thinking

Data Analysis and Probability

What You Can Do to Help

• Help your child master basic facts • Explore math in every day life • Make mathematics part of your children’s daily life • Help your child learn the vocabulary of mathematics • Encourage your child to do math “in their head”

Remember that the most important person in your child’s education is you.

Thank you for coming and have a great evening!