The Great Equalizers

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The Great Equalizers

• Paula Brown
• Director of Instructional Accountability
• Hampton City Schools
• pgbrown_at_sbo.hampton.k12.va.us

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Topics

• Vocabulary
• Summarizing
• Test Strategy
• Curriculum and Assessment Alignment

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Vocabulary

• Content vocabulary Everybody does it!!!
• Test Vocabulary
• Hamptons Eleven
• Hamptons Fifteen
• Earth Science vocabulary
• High School 100
• Prefixes, Suffixes and Root words

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Hamptons 11

• Represent Lie
• Support Include
• Contains Occur
• Appear to be Display
• Classified Describe
• Considered

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Hamptons 15(see handout)

• Core Five
• 10 for each content area
• Total of 45 words
• Mostly verbs
• Some test phrases

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High School

• Earth Science
• High School One Hundred

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Diverse Learners Whats the hook?

• Meaning to me
• Auditory/Rhythmic
• Visual (picture)
• Hands on/ Action
• Accountability

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Kid-friendly language

• Represent Stands for
• Occur Whats happening?
• Contains Whats in it?
• Describe Tell me ALL about it
• Support Back it up!

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• A graphic representation

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Represent
Key  
Tree
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Describe
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Occur
13
Support
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Contains
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A rhyme, rhythm or song
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Represent
Sing to the tune of Im a little
Teapot R-E-P-R-E-S-E-N-T This is what it means
to me, R-E-P-R-E-S-E-N-T Show and stand for what
it means.
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Describe
Sing to the tune of Ive Been Working on the
Railroad   D-E-S-C-R-I-B-E Tell me what its all
about D-E-S-C-R-I-B-E Who, what, when, where, why
and how Wont you tell me how youre
feeling? Think of adjectives D-E-S-C-R-I-B-E Its
how it looks or feels
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Occur
Sing to the tune of You are my
sunshine     O-C-C-U-R When will it
happen? O-C-C-U-R When will it be? O-C-C-U-R O-C-C
-U-R When will it occur to me?
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Support (a cheer)
S-U-P-P-O-R-T This is what it means to me. Back
it up, Hold it up Give me the reasons S-U-P-P-O-R-
T That is what it means to me. Support! Support!
(Raise your hands)
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Contains
C-O-N-T-A-I-N-S What does it hold? C-O-N-T-A-I-N-S
Its whats in, so Ive been told.. Dont you
look upon the outside! Its whats in that
counts C-O-N-T-A-I-N-S Thats what its all
about.
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An action
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Represent

• Stand at attention
• Say represent
• Strike a pose

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Describe

• Stand at attention
• Say describe
• Hold up 5 fingers

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Occur

• Stand at attention
• Say occur
• Point to your watch

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Support

• Stand at attention
• Say support
• Raise both hands up
• Put palms up
• Push up and down

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Contains

• Stand at attention
• Say contains
• Put left arm around to make a circle
• Point into that circle with your right hand.

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Accountability

• Put the words on tests and quizzes (synonyms in
  parentheses)

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Examples

• What information from the story supports (backs
  it up) the idea that clams thought they were
  being treated unfairly?
• Which word best describes (tells about) the
  pioneers feelings for Bailey?

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Use released wording from released SOL tests

• Hamptons 11 (elementary level and Algebra I)
• Hamptons 15 middle school level
• http//www-test.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/SchoolImprov
  ement/

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Prefixes, Suffixes and Root words

• Key component to fluency
• Transition from elementary to middle school
• Transition from middle school to high school
• Key to success on SAT and other college level
  assessments

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Prefixes, Suffixes and Root words

• Hidden problem
• Examples are given by the state curriculum in
  grades 2 and 3
• Becomes a bullet in grades 4-8 in the curriculum
  framework for English
• Disappears at grade 9

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Prefixes, Suffixes and Root words

• Cool Connects
• Text Messaging (Coding system)
• Prefix Cha-Cha Slide

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Prefixes, Suffixes and Root words

• Can You Read this Conversation?
• B4 u go DL mi pic
• LOL N1 ur a QT
• TNX gtg ttyl

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How Affixes Can Help on a Test

• Which shape is not a quadrilateral?
• F Square
• G Parallelogram
• H Pentagon
• J Trapezoid
• Grade 6 Math
• 50 of the HCS 6th Graders MISSED this question
  in 2006.

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Prefix Cha Cha Slide
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Summarizing

• Today we are going to learn
• What did we learn today?

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Test Strategies

• There is only one correct answer
• Make a decision and move on
• Its not about YOU

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Test Strategies

• How is a Question Created?
• The Role of the Distracter
• Wrong Answers vs. Distracters

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Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?

• How to beat the test

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Tests are NOT fair!

• Tests are not all created equal.
• Test items have particular designs
• Test items can play tricks on your eyes and
  your mind
• Know what to expect and win the game

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Match the Parts of a Multiple-Choice Item
Directions
Look at the pattern of shapes.
Directions
Which of the following shows the SAME kind of
pattern?
Visual
B
A
Question Stem
C
Answer Choices
D
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How Do You Make a Test Item?

• Write the question
• Place the correct answer in the A, B, C or D
  location
• Create 3 distracters

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How many states in the United States border the
Pacific Ocean?

• A 3

B 4
C 5
D 6
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Distracters

• Distracters fall into categories
• Visually confusing
• Formal vocabulary
• Complex graphics
• Use of subjective words
• Test strategy words

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Specific to Subject Distracters

• Questions as answer choices (English)
• Global Terms (History)
• Student errors for answer choices (Math)
• Long Question stems (science)

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What to do with Distracters?

• Dont debrief distracters
• Use 4 simple test strategies
• Reading
• Math
• Science and History

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Reading

• Read the selection
• Read the question (ONLY)
• Go back to the text and find the answer
• Match the found answer to the correct answer
  choice

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Mathematics

• Read the question
• Do the MATH
• Match your answer to the correct answer choice

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Science and History

• Read the question
• Think of your answer (use a provided graphic when
  necessary)
• Match your answer to the correct answer choice

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Strategies that Make a Difference

• The next few slides will feature a few cant
  miss SOL test strategies

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Multiple Choice Writing

• Editing page
• ONE error in the underlined part
• CPGS strategy
• (dealing with answer choice D or J
• as it is )

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Multiple Choice Writing
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Noticing the Page

• Noticing the page is a visual strategy that
  strongly directs students to the main idea of the
  selection before they read it.
• Noticing means stop, look at, and say what it
  is.

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Noticing the Page

• When the student begins a new passage,
• he/she should follow these steps
• 1. Highlight the picture by circling it point
  out (notice) all of the details
• 2. Highlight the title read the title
• 3. Put the picture and the title together, get
  the main idea.
• 4. Highlight the numbers (located next to the
  paragraphs) Count them out loud.
• Highlight any and all underlined words.
• Locate the question that matches the underlined
  word.

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• Test Barriers
• Plausible Answers
• Negative Questions
• Unfamiliar Words
• Graphics
• Endurance
• Test Format

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Plausible Answers

• Recognize the Best words
• Execute the strategy
• 50/50
• 4, 3, 2, 1

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• George Washington is best known as
• F. a naval officer
• G. The Father of our Country
• H. the 16th President
• J. a scientist

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Negative Questions

• Recognize the Negative words
• Not
• Except
• Execute the strategy
• -3
• The Answer

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Graphic Interpretation (SR3)

• Study, Read, Return, Respond
• Endurance sustained looking
• Discrimination skills

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SR3

• STUDY the graphic
• READ the question
• RETURN to the graphic for a closer look
• RESPOND to the question

• Study
• Read
• Return
• Respond

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SR3
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GraphicActivities
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Narrow Alignment

• The Virginia SOL assessments measure students
  success in the mastery of the Virginia curriculum
  framework for the core subject areas
• No other source is used

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A Three-fold Process

• Curriculum framework
• All skills for grade level presented
• Blueprints
• Weighting
• Aiming for graduation
• SOL assessments 2006-2008
• Historical appearance (how often)
• Style of item (presentation)

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Blueprints

• Blueprints give a framework for building the SOL
  assessment from the curriculum framework
• Blueprints tell us how the test values each
  category at each grade
• Blueprints (in Virginia) show a clear path to
  success in high school courses

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Moving towards Graduation
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Moving towards Graduation
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Using Data Differently

• Large Categories in Math, History and Science
• Biggest effect on the pass rate and on the
  advanced rate
• Using data differently
• What are the FAILING students failing?
• What are the PASSING students failing?

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Blueprints

• When weakest categories are determined
• This becomes the basis for all of your review,
  remediation and tutoring
• If you are reviewing what students missed the
  first nine weeks and that is NOT the focus
  category, you are strategically producing
  stagnant results

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Earth Science Blueprints
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Category Gaps
(4.73)
Subtract the Average Raw Score in each category
from the total number of questions. This
identifies the size of the gap. Reducing the
largest gap is the fastest path to student
success on state tests This figure shows the
largest gap (by a small margin) to be in the area
of Geology
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The Gap Widens
(10.79)
This is the same course at the same school, but
this time the passing students have been
removed. This time the gap is much wider between
the categories. This narrows the focus to
Geology.
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SPBQ Report
In the EVERYONE data, it looks like there are
four skills that are the weakest in this category
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SPBQ Report
BUT, when we take out the passing kids we see a
whole different picture of weakness
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What are the Large Categories?

• Grade 3 math
• Number and Number Sense (13 questions)
• Grade 4 math
• Computation and Estimation Measurement and
  Geometry (12 questions for each
  category)
• Grade 5 math
• Computation and Estimation Measurement and
  Geometry (12 questions for each
  category)
• Grade 6 math
• Measurement and Geometry Patterns, Functions and
  Algebra (12 questions for each
  category)
• Grade 7 math
• Measurement and Geometry Patterns, Functions and
  Algebra (12 questions for each
  category)

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What are the Large Categories?

• Grade 8 math
• Patterns, Functions and Algebra (16 q)
• Algebra I
• Equations and Inequalities (18q)
• Algebra II
• Relations and Functions (16q)
• Geometry
• Triangles and Logic (12q)

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What are the Large Categories?

• Science
• Grade 3
• All categories are equal in value (10q)
• Grade 5
• All categories are equal in value (10q)
• Grade 8
• Force, Motion, Energy and Matter (15q)

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What are the Large Categories?

• Earth Science
• Geology (21q)
• Biology
• Life at the Molecular and Cellular level (14q)
• Life at the Systems and Organisms level (14q)
• Chemistry
• Nomenclature, Chemical Formulas, and Reactions
  (16q)

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What are the Large Categories?

• Grade 3
• All categories are equal in value (10q)
• Virginia Studies
• History (15q)
• United States History to 1877
• Westward expansion and the Civil War era (10q)
• United States History1877 to the Present
• Turmoil and Change 1890s to 1945 (12q)

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What are the Large Categories?

• Civics and Economics
• Principals and Structure of the American
  Constitutional Government (13q)
• World Geography
• Physical and Regional Geography (25q)
• World History and Geography I
• Classical Civilizations and the Rise of Religious
  Traditions (14q)

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What are the Large Categories?

• World History and Geography II
• Era of Global Wars (13q)
• Post World War II Period (13q)
• US and Virginia History
• Emergence of Modern America and World Conflict
  1877-1945 (15q)
• The United States Since World War II (15q)

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Historical Appearance
In English, certain skills are tested more than
others By reviewing those skills to a high level
of mastery, pass rates will sore and advanced
rates will climb
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Historical Appearance
In 2006, all English Reading SOL assessments
focused on comprehension skills There are seven
focus skills for every grade
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Historic Appearance

• English Grade 3
• Word analysis context clues
• Comprehension
• Ask and answer questions
• Main idea, headings, problem of the story
• Summarizing
• Sequencing
• Drawing conclusions
• Characterization

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Historic Appearance

• English Grade 4
• Word analysis context clues
• Comprehension
• Details Ask and answer questions
• Main idea, summarizing, headings
• Authors purpose, authors choice
• Drawing conclusions, inferences
• Characterization
• Cause and effect

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Historic Appearance

• English Grade 5
• Word analysis context clues
• Comprehension
• Details Ask and answer questions
• Main idea, summarizing, headings,
• Authors purpose, authors choice
• Drawing conclusions, inferences
• Cause and effect
• Characterization

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Historic Appearance

• English Grade 6
• Word analysis context clues
• Comprehension
• Details Ask and answer questions
• Main idea, summarizing, theme
• Authors purpose, authors choice
• Drawing conclusions, inferences
• Cause and effect
• Characterization

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Historic Appearance

• English Grade 7
• Word analysis context clues
• Comprehension
• Main idea, summarizing, details
• Authors purpose, authors choice
• Drawing conclusions, inferences
• Organize and synthesize information
• Organizational structure
• Story elements (as a group)

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Historic Appearance

• English Grade 8
• Word analysis context clues
• Comprehension
• Main idea, summarizing, theme
• Relevancy and accuracy of information
• Authors purpose, authors choice
• Drawing conclusions, inferences
• Characterization
• Story elements (as a group)
• Organizational structure

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EOC English Reading

• Word Analysis
• Context clues
• Choosing the BEST resource
• Comprehension
• Main Idea/Summarizing
• Ask and Answer Questions (NOT)
• Drawing Conclusions/Making Inferences
• Characterization and story elements
• Authors style and literary effect
• Literary forms and terms

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Grade 3
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Released Assessments

• English Reading
• Only 2007 and 2008 released assessments are
  aligned
• Math
• all years of released assessments contain usable
  practice items (JLAB)
• Grades 4, 6, and 7 new since 2006
• Science
• all years of released assessments contain usable
  practice items (JLAB)
• History
• Only 2007 released assessments are available for
  use

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No Child Left Behind

• NCLB means finding every way possible for ALL
  students to pass the SOL tests in all tested
  grades in four core content areas.
• These are proven strategies that work.
• Find a way to get them to your students.
• Its their lives, dont forget.

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Great Equalizers

• Everyone can pass the SOL assessments
• Do your best to make sure that happens