Transcript Welcome to FCAT Family Night

WELCOME
8th Grade
Mrs. Raimont
Mrs. Redding
Mrs. Kantner-Brill
Ms. Finklestein
January 12, 2012
FCAT Writing Test
Tuesday, February 28th 2012
What is the FCAT writing?
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The FCAT writing requires students to draft a
written response to an assigned topic within
a 45 minute time period.
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Students are given an expository or a
persuasive prompt to respond to.
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This year ALL students will receive the same
prompt.
How is it scored?
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In writing, students can receive a
score from 1 to 6, a 6 being the
highest score.
Each essay is scored by two
examiner trained by the Department
of Education. Therefore, students
will receive either whole number
scores or half number scores this
year.
How Is It Scored?
Focus-
on topic
Support – elaboration
Organization – logical
progression of ideas
Conventions - grammar
When will I know how my child scored?
Test scores for students and
summary scores for schools are
distributed in late May.
 Students will be given their reports
to take home at the end of the school
year.
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Sample Expository Prompt
Everyone has a favorite hobby or
pastime.
Think about your favorite hobby or
pastime.
Now write to explain why this is your
favorite hobby or pastime.
Sample Expository Introduction
On a typical day of school I count the
seconds for the bell to ring and set me free
from the shackles that bind me to my desk. I
know that when it does, Matt will dash to
basketball practice, and Ashley will prance
around in the ballet studio. As for me, nothing
compares to the joy I get from sprawling on my
bed with my favorite authors. The “thing” for me
is reading.
Sample Persuasive Prompt
Recently, there has been a push for
students to read more at home.
Think about your position in this issue.
Now write to convince your principal
whether or not students should read
more at home.
Sample Persuasive Introduction
Curled up in my evergreen backyard I bask in
a puddle of light with a novel held preciously in my
arms. The story line and characters suck me in,
and before I know it, the sun meets the tops of the
houses at twilight. This is a daily occurrence for
me, but so many students are missing out on the
wonders of reading, and therefore, losing valuable
skills. Mr. Principal, I wholeheartedly believe that
students should indeed spend less time playing XBox and more time reading at home.
What can I do to help my child become a
better writer?
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Ask to see samples of his or her writing.
(MYACCESS is a great source) Offer your critique.
 A captivating opening
 A clear main idea
 Supporting details that support that main idea
 Clear and effective language
 A purposeful closing
Make sure that your child is completing his or her
myaccess prompts on a timely basis.
Provide words of encouragement to avoid test
anxiety.
Make sure your child attends writing camp if he or
she has received an invitation.
FCAT 2.0 Reading Test
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FCAT tests gets progressively more rigorous
each year.
The assessment is compiled of easy, moderate,
and difficult questions that assess an entire
hierarchy of critical thinking skills.
Grade Level
Lower Level
Moderate Level
High Level*
6
15-25
50-70
15-25
7
10-20
50-70
15-25
8
10-20
50-70
15-25
Only 20 to 30 percent of students are expected to answer high
complexity answers correctly.
Test Compilation:
FCAT 2.0 Reading Portion
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Grade 8 - 60% Informational
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Magazine or newspaper articles
Textbook passages
Biographies
Brochures
40% Literary
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Poems
Short stories
Plays
Major Benchmarks
Students are expected to master a key set
of benchmarks as established by the
Department of Education.
These benchmarks are featured in the form
of questions on the FCAT.
Here are some of the key benchmarks your
child will be expected to know:
FCAT 2.0 Reading Grade 8
Content Focus Areas
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Vocabulary in context and structure
Author’s Purpose and Author’s Point of View
Cause and Effect
Comparison/Contrast
Main Idea and Supporting Details
Literary Elements (including plot development, characters, setting)
Text Organizational Patterns
Text Features (titles, headings, sub-headings, text in bold or italics)
Synthesizing Information From Two Sources
Descriptive and Figurative Language
Determining Reliability and Validity of Information
General reading strategies that
can be reinforced at home.
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Predicting
Selective Underlining
Margin Note-taking
Summarizing
Paraphrasing
Identify tone
Re-read parts of passage
General question frames that can be applied
to any passage.
Main Idea:
 What would be another good title for the article?
 What is the central idea of the article?
Author’s Purpose:
 What is the author’s purpose for saying ________?
 The author wants the reader to think _________.
Analyzing and Evaluating
 The information in the article would be most useful for
__________.
Synthesizing
 How do _____ and ______ suggest the central idea that
__________?
What else can YOU do to
help?
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Encourage your child to read every night. Reading Counts, it really
does!
Monitor reading logs.
 40 points per quarter – regular classes
 60 points – advanced classes
Turn Off The TV, computer, phone, video game!!
Make sure students are completing their FOCUS, Study Island or
other online program assignments without help or interruptions.
Read with your child.
Model by reading books/newspapers at home.
Make sure your child is completing all homework assignments.
Have a positive attitude towards the test.
Science FCAT
Test Details
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5th, 8th and 11th graders take the Science
FCAT.
Test is comprised of two 80 minute
sessions taken on the same day,
Thursday, April 19th, 2012.
Question Types and Scoring
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There are two types of
questions on the Science
FCAT.
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Multiple choice- worth 1
point each and should take
1 minute to answer
Gridded response- worth 1
point and should take 1-1.5
minutes to answer.
What will the test
encompass?
 FCAT
will focus on science
literacy and the ability to use
scientific knowledge.
 Test
will NOT focus on the
pure memorization of material.
What is covered?
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The test questions are grouped into four
clusters.
- Physical/Chemical Sciences
- Earth and Space Sciences
- Life and Environmental Sciences
- Scientific Thinking
SAMPLE
QUESTIONS
How You Can Help Your
Young Scientist
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Encourage your child to read in
the content area.
Turn on the Discovery channel to
increase interest and background
knowledge.
Discuss current science events.
Ask them to explain to you basic
science phenomena. Why is the
sky blue? What type of clouds
are those? What causes morning
dew?
Math FCAT
FCAT Math Test Design
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Two 70 minutes sessions on the same day.
Approximately 60-65 questions
Two types of questions:
Multiple choice
 Gridded response
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Reference Sheet Provided
 Four function calculator
 Not a computation test
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Expressions, Equations,
and Functions
Geometry and
Measurement
Number Concepts:
Operations, Problems,
Statistics
40%
35%
25%
Recall
Single Unit
Conversion
One-step
problems
LOW
COMPLEXITY
Retrieve
Info
From
graph
Compute
sum,
difference,
product,
quotient
Reasoning
Formulate
problems,
given
data
Multiple
Operations
MODERATE
COMPLEXITY
Use info
from graph
to solve
problems
Extend
Algebraic
Geometric
Patterns
Provide
Mathematical
Justification
Multiple
Steps,
Multiple
Decisions
Describe.
Analyze.
HIGH
COMPLEXITY
Explain.
Justify.
Solve
nonroutine
problems
Gridded Response Question
How you can help your child
prepare for the Math FCAT.
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Make sure your child is completing homework/FOCUS/StudyIsland.
Calculate tips and total bill while dining out.
Compute gas mileage.
Figure out percentages while shopping: taxes, sales, discounts,
rebates.
Practice math facts every day. (Great websites available)
While cutting up a pizza, a pie, or a cake, talk about fractions.
Discuss conversions using household items, i.e., 2 liter
bottles/gallon of milk.
Point out graphs and charts in newspapers and discuss the findings
and how displayed.
Helpful Websites
Math
www.connected.mcgraw-hill.com (textbook website)
http://fcat.fldoe.org/
www.fcatexplorer.com
www.studyguidezone.com/fcattest.htm
Reading
http://www.edinformatics.com/testing/testing.htm
Writing
http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/#
For copies of this presentation, please visit our school
website www.pinescharter.net.

West Campus
 General Tab
 FCAT Family Night PowerPoint Presentation
Saturday,
January 21, 2012
8:00am – 3:00pm
Accepting donations every day from 8:00am –
4:00
Volunteers are needed on Fri. 1/20
beginning at 8:00am and Sat. 1/21
beginning at 7:00am.
Contact Mrs. Torres—
[email protected] — with
questions or to sign up for volunteer
time.
Thank you for your time,
attention, and dedication.
Together we can ensure your
child’s success!