i have come to believe that all of us, - ed.gov.nl.ca · i have come to believe that all of us, as...

I have come to believe that all of us,as we write, or read, or draw . . .

as we hold the pages of a book tilted so thata little one can see . . .

as we choose and wrap a book as a gift for a child . . .

as we provide privacy and a comfortable chair, or a favourite book on a tablebeside a guest room bed . . .

as we sift through memories, sort them out and see their meaning . . .

and as we look back, and say to a child, “I remember-“we do, in fact, hold the knowledge of centuries.

And we all become Givers.

Lois Lowry

1

To the Teacher

The Department of Education will be administering the Primary Language Arts Assessment toGrade 3 students from May 20-30, 2003. This will include students in English Languageclassrooms. It will not include students in French Immersion classrooms. The comprehensivemulti-session assessment will incorporate the strands of the English Language Arts curriculum.

< Speaking and Listening< Reading and Viewing< Writing and Other Ways of Representing

An information booklet is being provided to schools to supplement those that were distributedduring the 2000-01 and 2001-02 school years. Please refer to them as needed. Any changes fromlast year will be discussed in the current booklet. The contents include:

& Overview of the 2001-02 Assessment& Administration Schedule& Exemptions and Adaptations & Appropriate Adaptations& The Role of the Special Education Teacher& Exemption and Adaptation Forms& Preparing Students for Assessment& Procedures for the Assessment

A speaking sample will be part of the assessment again this year. Each teacher will be expectedto tape record 1, 2, or 3 presentations. To facilitate this process, the department is asking thateach school submit Grade 3 class lists by April 11, 2003, using the enclosed form. The name(s)of the student(s) selected for the speaking will be sent to schools with the assessment materials.Please send the completed lists to:

Beverly FitzPatrickTest ConsultantDivision of Evaluation, Testing & CertificationDepartment of EducationP.O. Box 87003rd Floor, West Block,Confederation BuildingSt. Johns, NLA1B 4J6

Parent Information Brochures will be supplied to schools in March, 2003. If there are anyquestions, please call Beverly FitzPatrick at 729-6011.

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The notion of what it means to be literate has changed in our society. Although it is still true thatbecoming literate requires developing some basic skills and strategies, low-level basic skills thatmerely involve surface-level decoding and recalling information are hardly enough. Criticalthinking and the ability to personalize meanings to individual experience and apply what is reador written in the real world, under many different circumstances, and with many different typesof texts, may now be termed the “new basics.”

Dorothy Strickland

Overview of the 2002 Assessment

The Department would like to thank teachers and administrators for their efforts concerning theadministration of the CRT. Sincere appreciation is extended to those teachers who:

1) ensured that students understood the task or topic

2) checked student work to make sure it was completed

3) included notes about non-performance related to illness or student frustration

4) checked work booklet covers to make sure the pertinent information was included

5) checked bubble sheets for correct spelling of student names

6) filled out the tracking forms appropriately by alphabetically listing student names andusing both first and last names of students

7) filled out the exemption and adaptation forms including relevant information andappropriate documentation

There are also some teaching practices which are not appropriate for assessment. Teachersshould read the administration guide carefully and question when in doubt. The following shouldnot happen during the administration of the CRT assessment:

1) the teacher acting as participant in the peer conference of the process writing. Both peersshould be students.

2) the teacher scribing process and demand writing when there is no physical disability

3) incorrect spelling being circled or monitored by the teacher during the process and demandwriting

4) any part of the assessment going home

5) preparation at home for any part of the assessment (e.g., preparing for Show and Tell in the

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speaking component)

6) the entire class writing about the same topic under the guidelines of the writing prompt(e.g., every student in the class writing about Harry Potter when the prompt was to writeabout a favourite book or movie)

7) lists of words given to students which go beyond the scope of a thesaurus (e.g., lists of“feeling” words, “action” words, etc.)

The results of the 2002 CRT showed improvement in reading, writing, and listening. Provincialstandards were set by a group of teachers, administrators, program specialists, and test consultants.It was agreed that 85% of students should be achieving Level 3 and above and that 30% of studentsshould be achieving Level 4 and above by the end of primary in all strands of English LanguageArts. It was recognized that this would not be accomplished in all strands in the 2002 administrationof the CRT. However, high expectations need to be communicated to students, parents, and teachersif student achievement is to continue to improve.

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The following chart shows the gains made from 2001 to 2002. A comparison was not made with thespeaking component as the tasks were different each year.

Primary Language Arts AssessmentProvincial Comparison - 2001 and 2002

Percentage of Students Performing at or above Level 3/4

Level 3 and above Level 4 and above

2001 2002 2001 2002

Process Writing - Content 81.9 93.8 24.6 33.9

Process Writing -Organization

79.3 87.9 18.6 28.3

Process Writing - SentenceFluency

79.9 91.1 18.8 28.6

Process Writing - Voice 77.3 87.4 19.9 28.3

Process Writing - WordChoice

88.9 96.5 12.6 22.0

Process Writing -Conventions

79.8 91.5 20.6 38.6

Demand Writing 80.5 87.4 17.9 28.1

Narrative Reading 62.9 79.2 15.1 22.6

Informational Reading 29.5 49.3 4.0 12.9

Poetic Reading 49.5 61.4 6.2 17.1

Viewing 44.9 48.6 4.8 11.0

Poetic Listening 46.6 53.3 7.1 6.8

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Administration Schedule

Week One

Date Test Component Approximate Time

Tuesday, May 20 - Thursday,May 22

Process WritingSpeaking

3 days

Friday, May 23 Narrative Reading 60 minutes

Week Two

Date Test Component Approximate Time

Monday, May 26 Informational Reading 60 minutes

Tuesday, May 27 Demand Writing 1 60 minutes

Wednesday, May 28 ListeningPoetic Reading

30 minutes30 minutes

Thursday, May 29 Demand Writing 2 60 minutes

Friday, May 30 Listening - FollowingDirectionsViewing

30 minutes

30 minutes

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Exemptions and Adaptations

The Primary English Language Arts Assessment will be written by all Grade 3 students in Englishlanguage classrooms, except those with severe cognitive delay (Criteria C). For these students, theschool team should consider a full exemption. Other students (those with pathway 2, 3, and/or 4supports) may need adaptations to the assessment process in order to participate. In all cases, theexemption or adaptation must be authorized by the Department of Education. School, district, andprovincial results will include the achievement levels of all students, however, the names ofindividual students will not be published in any public report.

The results of the previous CRTs showed that all students should be participating in this assessment.For those students who are performing below the level expected for the end of primary, regardlessof whether there is a pathway support or not, the results reliably indicate performance level.Assessment and accountability are necessary for all students. Including students withexceptionalities in provincial assessment is critical to improving educational opportunities for thesestudents as well as providing meaningful and useful information about their performance.

Exemptions may also be given in the case of serious illness, sudden bereavement, or other unusualcircumstances. The principal, in consultation with the teacher and parents/guardians, shouldrecommend whether the student should have a full exemption.

Students with identified exceptionalities and an ISSP may require a partial exemption from aparticular component of the assessment. Documentation will be necessary for a partial exemptionand each student’s needs will be discussed individually. The documentation should include:

( Writing - a dated writing sample. This should be an independent piece of writing completedafter March 1, 2003.

( Reading - a dated reading record. This should be completed after March 1, 2003. It could bea reading record from the Atlantic Canada Reading Assessment Resource, an informalinventory record, a PM Benchmark reading record, or any other reading record which includesthe reading level. For example, if a student scores 92% on Level M and 85% on Level N, thenboth of these reading records should be submitted for documentation. This will show both theinstructional level and the frustration level.

Note: All students should be able to complete the viewing section of the reading componentof the assessment.

( Listening - a dated listening test or work sample, completed after March 1, 2003

( Speaking - an indication on the class list which is submitted for the speaking sample that thestudent is receiving services from the Speech Language Pathologist or other pertinentinformation

The principal, in consultation with the teacher and parents/guardians, should recommend if a studentneeds a partial exemption, which must be authorized by the Department of Education. Exemptionand Adaptation forms should be completed and returned to the Department of Education by April11, 2003. Schools should photocopy these forms before submission. Teachers and administratorscan then refer to the forms when consulting with the department and record the final decision on theform.

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Appropriate Adaptations

Some students with special needs (receiving Pathway 2, 4, and/or 4 supports) may requireadaptations to participate. These may already be in place for instruction and testing. Adaptationsmay include:

< A quiet workplace away from the classroom for: a) students with attentional difficulties who find it hard to concentrate

b) students with behavioural difficulties who may distract others

NOTE: All students should be in the classroom for directions, brainstorming, and anyintroductory activities. Only those students who cannot perform in the classroomcontext should be removed to a small group or individual setting. This should be alow number of students, not the entire group of students who are receiving pathwaysupports.

When working in an alternate setting the testing atmosphere must still prevail. Noadditional supports, unless authorized on the adaptation form, should be given to students.

< Provision of text in a different format (e.g., large print, Braille)

NOTE: Please call Beverly FitzPatrick at 729-6011 or e-mail [email protected] by April 11, 2003 if this is a request. This will allow time for large colour booklets to be printed.

< Use of technology will be limited to Microsoft WordPad. Use of a spell checker orgrammar checker will not be permitted.

< Verbatim scribing of responses in reading (narrative, informational, poetic, and visual) andpoetic listening. The scribe should write exactly what the student dictates. There can be nosuggestions, editing, or proof-reading.

NOTE: Many students with pathway supports are able to answer questions independentlywith the teacher transcribing illegible words (e.g., teacher writes the correct spelling,in ink, above the student’s original work). Comprehension is being measured, notwriting performance.

< Transcribing of responses in process and demand writing. The student should writeindependently. Afterward, the teacher may write a transcription (i.e., the child’s work,rewritten by the teacher, with accurate spelling) for the purpose of legibility, to includewith the student’s original work. Some teachers transcribe the entire piece of writing,others print the correct spelling for illegible words in ink above the student’s spelling.With demand writing, please do not do the latter. Because a holistic rubric is used toscore demand writing, it is important for markers to first score the piece using onlystudent work. Therefore, demand writing will need the entire piece transcribed andattached.

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< Students with physical disabilities may need a scribe for the process and demand writing. Ifthis occurs, the student must spell the words and supply the punctuation. The scribe merelyacts as the “pencil”. Once a student spells a word correctly, the scribe may assume that theword is part of the student’s repertoire. The scribe can then write all the subsequentrepetitions of that word without the student having to spell the same word again.

NOTE: By providing appropriate testing accommodations/adaptations, the student’s ability,not disability, is being assessed.

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Including students with disabilities in standardized assessments is critical to improving educationalopportunities for these students as well as to providing meaningful and useful information abouttheir performance to their schools and communities.

Stephen N. Elliott

The Role of the Special Education Teacher

The classroom teacher plans and implements strategies to ensure that students achievecurriculum outcomes. It is the responsibility of the classroom teacher to provide intervention tomeet the needs of diverse learners.

In collaboration with classroom teachers, special education teachers develop and implementmodified programs which are not available through prescribed curriculum.

The special education and classroom teacher should consult on the adaptations andaccommodations a student may require. Both should ensure that the accommodations andadaptations that support the student in achieving curriculum outcomes are implemented. An ISSPshould be in place for students receiving Pathway 2 supports, modified programs - Pathway 3supports, and alternate courses - Pathway 4 supports. Students with ISSPs will already havetheir adaptations/accommodations established prior to the administration of the CRT in May,2003. The accommodations and adaptations identified in the educational component of the ISSPwill be the only ones considered when approval for accommodations or adaptations to the CRTare requested.

All students should be in the classroom with the classroom teacher to be part of the introductionof each component. It is important that all students receive the same instructions andexplanations and be part of the brainstorming sessions. Should a student require an alternatesetting, the special education or other approved teacher may then proceed to the alternate settingwith the student. However, even when a student completes portions of the CRT in analternate setting, the administering teacher will follow the procedures outlined in the testguidelines. Student assistants should not be involved in the accommodations of the testingprocess.

As much as possible, students with Pathway supports should be included in the classroom settingto complete the CRT. There will be students who will be below grade level in aspects of theCRT. However, most are capable of scoring at least 1 in all aspects or may have a profile thatshows they are strong in certain areas, but weak in others.

The special education teacher’s role in the administration of the CRT is to offer support, whereneeded and approved. The classroom teacher has the primary responsibility of administering theCRT to all students.

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Request for Full Exemption from Testing

Primary Criterion Referenced Testing

(Must be completed by the teacher and principal and returned to the address below by April 11, 2003)

(One Form Per Student)I recommend that be granted a full exemption from the (Name of Student)Primary Language Arts Assessment. Pathway: REASON FOR FULL EXEMPTION:

SCHOOL: TEACHER: DISTRICT: SCHOOL NO: PRINCIPAL’S SIGNATURE: SIGNATURE OF PARENT/GUARDIAN: DATE: SCHOOL TELEPHONE NO:

Please submit completed form to: Beverly FitzPatrick Test Consultant Division of Evaluation, Testing & Certification Department of Education P.O. Box 8700 St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6

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Request for Adaptations to the Testing Procedures



(One Form Per Student)

I recommend that be granted an adaptation to the testing. (Name of Student) Pathway(s)For Language Arts: NATURE OF THE ADAPTATION AND REASON FOR THE REQUEST (If a scribe is requested for particular components, please indicate.)SCRIBE: POSITION:

(Teachers Only)



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Request for Partial Exemption from Testing



(One Form Per Student)

I recommend that be granted a partial exemption from the (Name of Student)

Primary English Language Arts Assessment in the component(s) of: Pathways (s) for Language Arts:

REASON FOR PARTIAL EXEMPTION: (Attach Documentation To Support Request)



Preparing Students for Assessment

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The ultimate purpose of criterion-referenced testing is to improve student achievement. Theresults should help guide instruction. They should assist curriculum planning and increase theeffectiveness of school programs.

John Guthrie (2002) gives five components of successful test preparation:

1. good instruction in language arts (40%)

2. explicit instruction in reading strategies (20%)

3. engaged independent reading (20%)

4. practice with the format of the test (10%)

5. motivational support (10%)

Regie Routman, 2001, suggests, among others, these five ideas for embedding test - taking skillsin language arts instruction.

1. Involve students in reading and discussing a variety of forms of text.

2. Engage students in thinking and talking about the text during read aloud, guided reading,and independent reading.

3. Give students books at their reading level. When text is too difficult, effective strategiescannot be developed.

4. Reread the same texts for different purposes.

5. Require students to provide evidence from the text to support their thinking.

The research also maintains that the following strategies will positively affect studentachievement:

A. using background knowledge

B. searching to locate information

C. self-monitoring

D. self-questioning

E. concept mapping

F. self-explanation

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These components and strategies reflect the teaching practices which are recommended in thePrimary English Language Arts Curriculum Guide 1999. Furthermore, teacher modelling, guidedpractice, and independent work are advocated in both the curriculum guide and the research fortest preparation.

According to Guthrie, Wigfield, Metsala, and Cox, 1999, “...the strongest predictor ofachievement is amount of reading. Students who read widely and frequently are high achievers;students who read rarely and narrowly are low achievers.”

. . . teaching without continual assessment is akin to “teaching without the children.”

Regie Routman

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Process Writing

The process writing will take place over three days (Days 1-3), which most students should findsufficient. However, if some students require more time, this can be available. Spelling sources suchas dictionaries, thesauri, books, class charts, and word walls should be available. As indicated, useof technology will be limited to Microsoft WordPad. Use of a spell checker or grammar checkerwill not be permitted. Planning charts and checklists will be included in the Student Work Booklet.

The curriculum guide for Primary English Language Arts has relevant information about processwriting. In particular, pages 124-125, 136-137, 150-152, 209-235 and 298 will be helpful.

Day 1

The writing prompt should be read to students, followed by a 5-10 minute brainstorming session.If teachers wish to record the brainstorming on a chart, the chart should be removed before studentsstart writing their first drafts. It is important that all students participate in this pre-writing strategy,however, the visual representation should not be displayed during the rest of the process writing.

Students should complete the Organizational Web or Story Map as the second step in the process.Teachers should explain this procedure so that all students understand the expectation.

The next step is to write a first draft. This should be written on loose leaf paper, which will beattached to the student work booklet with the final copy. Students may print, write, or use MicrosoftWordPad. Some students may finish their drafts on the first day, others will need to continue withit on the second day.

Day 2

Students should finish their first drafts and take part in a peer conference. Some students may getto start making revisions. Copies of Revising Your Work will be in the Student Work Booklet.Teachers should read through this checklist with all students. A suggestion is to make a class chartof this checklist.

Teachers will need to take students through the Draft Writing Conference sheet. Explain thatstudents will be working at different rates and will get to the Conference stage at different times.A connection should be made between peer conferencing and revising.

Students will then be ready to finish their first drafts. As two students finish, they can be paired tocomplete the Draft Writing Conference. Teachers should monitor this as much as possible, makingsure that students understand the process. They are then ready to start making revisions, using theconferencing and revising sheets. All students, including those with scribing or transcribingadaptations, should participate in the Draft Writing Conference with another student.

Day 3

Most students will finish their final copies on the third day, others will need more time. Beforestudents write, teachers should read through the Proofreading Checklist with all students. Copiesof this checklist will be in the Student Work Booklet.

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Revising Your Work

1. Read your first draft clearly to your partner.

2. Let your partner answer the Draft Writing Conference page.

3. Decide where you want to make changes in your writing.

P Cross out parts that are not needed.

P Change words that do not sound right.

P Add descriptive words.

P Use different sentence patterns.

P Arrange the sentences in the best possible order.

4. Make sure your writing has a beginning, middle, and ending.

P The beginning should introduce the topic in an interesting way. It shouldtell about the characters and setting.

P The middle should tell about the topic, with interesting details. It shouldhave a problem or exciting events.

P The end should say something important about the topic and have aconclusion.

5. Read your second draft to yourself and think about how it sounds.

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Draft Writing Conference

Writer Date

Listener

After you have listened to your partner read, help your partner byanswering the following.

I liked

I would like to know more about

One suggestion is

Proofreading Checklist

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I checked my spelling.

P I checked the words I don’t think I spelled correctly.P I looked in a dictionary or used class word lists.

I checked my punctuation.

P I used a comma or other punctuation where my reader shouldpause.

P I used a period, question mark, or exclamation mark at the end of eachsentence.

P I used quotation marks for parts where someone is talking.

I checked for capitals.

P I looked at the beginning of each sentence.P I looked at names of people and places.P I looked at dates.

I checked my printing or handwriting to make sure it is neat.

P I spaced between my words.P I can read my handwriting and so can other people.

I reread my story and it makes sense.

P I checked for missing words.P I reread each sentence to make sure it is a complete thought.P I organized my thoughts into paragraphs.

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Demand Writing

There will be two pieces of demand writing. One hour per piece should be sufficient for moststudents. Extra time may be allotted. Students who finish early should be encouraged to rereadtheir writing to ensure that this is their best work. A useful tip for teachers is not to collect thewriting until the provided time is over.

Students should have the writing prompt read to them. A brainstorming session should follow,using the same guidelines as in the process writing. Students will then independently write intheir booklets for the remainder of the hour. They may use dictionaries, thesauri, class charts,word walls, or books to help them with spelling. They cannot use other students or the teacher asa dictionary. Use of a spell checker or grammar checker will not be permitted.

Teachers should check to make sure that students are writing about the designated topic. Whenstudents are “off the prompt”, the content does not fulfill the purpose. Students need to learn towrite for purpose and audience.

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Reading

There are four types of text in the reading component. At the beginning of each reading activity,two charts should be read with the class. Copies of these charts will be in the Student WorkBooklet. The charts, entitled Tips for Answering Multiple Choice Questions and Tips forAnswering Open Response Questions, could be made into wall charts.

With all four selections, the titles should be read to the students. The students have to read theselections and answer the questions independently. The questions cannot be read to the students,other than with the visual text. Often times, the questions contain words that are in the readingselections, thus providing words to students would be giving too much support for assessmentpurposes.

If a student needs to read a question to the teacher for clarification, that is acceptable. If a studentdoes not understand a word in a question that is not about the content of the reading selection,the teacher may explain it. An example from the 2002 Primary English Language ArtsAssessment would be: Using the text, complete the diagram, showing the life cycle of a tree. Theteacher may explain the meanings of text, complete, or diagram because the explanation will notaffect the students’ comprehension of what was read. The words life cycle may not be explained.Sample items are not provided in this booklet, as there are sample items in Booklet 3. As well,copies of the 2001 and 2002 CRTs should be in all schools.

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Tips For Answering Multiple Choice Questions

Do:

1. Reread parts of the reading passage, if necessary.

2. Reread the question, if necessary.

3. Choose the best answer for each question.

4. Fill in only one circle for each question.

5. Go on to next question if you get stuck on an answer. You shouldcome back to the question at the end.

6. Answer every question, even if you’re not sure.

7. Use any extra time to check your answers.

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Tips for Answering Open-Response Questions

Do:

1. Reread parts of the reading passage, if necessary.

2. Reread the question, if necessary.

3. Print or write as neatly as you can.

4. Answer in complete sentences.

5. Include as much information as you can when you are asked toexplain your thinking or solve a problem.

6. Explain yourself clearly. Provide details and examples.

7. Write what you think and why you think that. There are not alwaysright or wrong answers.

8. Go on to the next question if you get stuck on an answer. Youshould come back to the question at the end.

9. Answer every question, even if you not sure.

10. Use any extra time to check your answers.

& Do they say what you mean?& Do they make sense?& Is your spelling, punctuation, and capitalization appropriate?

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ListeningFollowing Directions

Step 1

Students will listen to all of the directions before they pick up their pencils and crayons.

Step 2

Each direction is played once on the tape. The direction cannot be repeated. Time is allowedfor the students to follow each direction.

Step 3

Once all of the directions have been followed, the tape will repeat the directions, with no pausesin between. This provides a final check for students.

Students are given the opportunity to hear the directions three times. No other repetitions arepermitted. This test requires silence in the classroom. Students should not repeat directions outloud. The teacher should allow sufficient, reasonable time between each direction. In Step 2there will be a five minute pause between each direction, however, teachers should turn off thetape recorder between directions during this step.

Copies of the 2001 and 2002 CRTs should be in all schools.

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Listening

In this activity, students will listen to a tape recording and then answer multiple choice and openresponse questions. Copies of the 2001 and 2002 CRTs should be in all schools.

Step 1

Before students pick up their pencils, they will listen to the recording and questions. There willbe no discussion.

Step 2

The recording is played again before the students begin answering the questions.

Step 3

Each multiple choice question should be listened to one at a time. Allow a reasonable length oftime for all students to complete each question before proceeding on to the next question.

Step 4

The open response questions will be in the Student Work Booklet. The students should listen tothese questions once again before time is provided to answer them.

Step 5

After all questions have been completed, the tape should be played so that students can checktheir work.

25

Speaking

Ten percent of the Grade 3 students in Newfoundland and Labrador will take part in an oralpresentation. Teachers are asked to send in class lists by April 11, 2003. The department willthen select a random sample. The names of the selected students will be sent to schools with theassessment materials. Please inform the department when there are additions and deletions toyour list before the CRT is written.

Teachers will need a tape recorder which can record voices. This component will takeapproximately one hour and should occur sometime during the first three days.

Students will be given approximately thirty minutes to prepare for the presentation. All studentsshould prepare for the presentation, although only the selected students should be taped forthe purpose of this assessment. Each presentation should take approximately three minutes.Students will have to present and then answer questions. The topic will be provided as part of theassessment materials. Students should not be told who will be taped until after all thestudents have prepared their presentation. That way, all students will put their best effortsinto preparing for the presentation. If teachers wish, they may provide time for others to presentonce the assessment is complete.

The tape(s) will be submitted to the Department of Education with the test booklets.

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Class List for Speaking Interview

School ______________________ District __________________________

School No. Teacher

Grade

Students

1. 18.

2. 19.

3. 20.

4. 21.

5. 22.

6. 23.

7. 24.

8. 25.

9. 26.

10. 27.

11. 28.

12. 29.

13. 30.

14. 31.

15. 32.

16. 33.

17. 34.

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