PSSA Prep:Resources, Tools, and

Strategiesto improve student

achievement

Colonial Intermediate Unit 20Educational Consultants

Kathy Emeigh610-515-6546

kemeigh@ciu20.orgMelissa Petrilak

610-515-6542mpetrilak@cui20.org

Guiding Questions: What resources can help us to

decide our instructional focus?

What tools are available for us?

What are practical strategies are there to embed PSSA prep in our daily instruction?

What strategies do you use now to prepare your students for PSSA?

Bright Ideas Periodically a

“Stop, Drop, and Jot” will take place.

Use Bright Ideas paper to generate ideas of the information you’ve heard throughout the training.

Why focus on the special education population?

To meet adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) required by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) schools and subgroups must meet four targets: Student achievement at proficiency or

above For 2006-07 Math score - 45% (56% for ’08-’10) For 2006-07 Reading score - 54% (63% for

’08-’10) 95% participation 90% attendance 80% graduation rate

Special Education is a Subgroup

Subgroups must meet targets or a school does not meet AYP

Subgroup has 40 or more students.

Bottom line… at least for now is that IEP students need to improve their PSSA performance

The Good and the Bad of It Good

IEP students responsible for same Anchors/Standards as regular education students

IEP aligned to Anchors/Standards giving Special Education teachers a clear instructional focus.

Schools can meet AYP through a Safe Harbor.

Bad Rules changed mid

game. Chronological age and

grade used as the basis for state assessment.

Some districts may only focus on the IEP students who are capable of raising PSSA scores.

What Should We Do?

It doesn’t have to

be that difficult!

Logic 101 Continue to expect

all students make progress

AND Identify students

who will increase the school or district proficiency rate by 10%.

PA Academic Standards1.1, 1.2, 1.3

Assessment Anchor Content Standards

A.1, A.2, B.1, B.2, B.3

Anchor Descriptors

EligibleContent

“Trifolds” and More from IU 13

http://www.iu13.org/inst_init_literacy_anchor.shtmlFor reading assessment anchor content

standards presented in “teacher friendly” charts and graphs.

http://www.iu13.org/inst_math_anchors.shtmlFor math assessment anchor content standards

presented in “teacher friendly” charts and graphs.

THE TRIFOLDS ARE GREAT! EASY COMPARISON ACROSS THREE GRADE LEVELS.

AssessmentAnchor

RESOURCES!

Reporting Category

Five Math Reporting Categories:

A. Numbers & OperationsB. MeasurementC. GeometryD. Algebraic ConceptsE. Data Analysis & Probability

Two Reading Reporting Categories:A. Comprehension and Reading SkillsB. Interpretation and Analysis of Literature

Reference to Standard- Math

PAStandard

Reference to Standard- Reading

PAStandard

Eligible Content

Known as “assessment limits”

Identify how deeply teachers need to

cover an Anchor to prepare students

for PSSA

Not all Eligible Content is assessed on the PSSA; shows the range of knowledge from which the test

was designed.

Sample Items

Math only!More sample items

under Resource Materials

Test Blueprint- Math

Reporting Category

Grade3

Grade4

Grade5

Grade6

Grade7

Grade8

Grade11

Numbers and Operations

40-50% 43-47% 41-45% 28-32% 20-24% 18-22% 12-15%

Measurement 12-15% 12-15% 12-15% 12-15% 12-15% 12-15% 12-15%

Geometry 12-15% 12-15% 12-15% 15-21% 15-21% 15-20% 12-18%

Algebraic Concepts

12-15% 12-15% 13-17% 15-20% 20-27% 25-30% 36-42%

Data Analysis and

Probability13-16% 12-15% 12-15% 15-20% 15-20% 15-20% 12-18%

Total Points66

Points66

Points66

Points66

Points66

Points66

Points66

Points

Begin With the “End” in Mind!

Stop, Drop, and Jot

Information on Assessment Anchor Content Standards

Open website to:www.pde.state.pa.us

Click on tab Pre K- 12 Left hand side of page, click on

Assessment Left hand side of page, click on

Assessment Anchors

Online Resources

Click here

Online Resources

Click here

Downloadable Tools

The Assessment Anchors and Glossaries are here

Item Samplers,

Handbook with Blueprints,

Formula Sheets

Critical Content Words

Math and Reading Glossaries

DataNotGuesswork™

…and More from IU 13 An Assessment Anchor Guide with:

assessment anchoreligible content

key vocabulary All on one teacher friendly page! http://www.iu13.org/inst_init_literacy_anchor.shtml http://www.iu13.org/inst_math_anchors.shtml

Critical Content Words

Adopt-A-Word

Source of the words contained in this packet:

The words were taken from one of the forms of the 2005 Math and Reading PSSA

They were not taken from test content, but from test question forms

Please note that these words are not intended as a complete listing.

The list represents the critical content words that “stood out” upon review.

Purpose of Adopt-A-Word To give students access to vocabulary

that will help them better comprehend the intent of test questions

To give teachers concise and common “test” vocabulary to embed in current classroom routines and curriculum across content areas

Why “adopt” a word?

In a learning community, it is very important that all teachers take ownership of critical content vocabulary.

Students need multiple opportunities for exposure to these words across content areas

And from Susan in Philadelphia School

District…..

3 pages of strategies!

“Some PSSA Glossary Words Ideas and Mini-

Lessons”

How can we use this tool?

Item and Sampler Guide:

Rubrics and Sample Passages

Stop, Drop, and Jot

A “Collection” of Strategies!

From Joann in Pocono Mt. School District. Using the Item Samplers from PDE:

Practice with sticky notes Double-space and enlarge font (“George” went

from below basic to proficient with this strategy!) Have your students grade the sample student

responses, and see if their score agrees with PDE’s.

Use acetate sheets and “grease” pencils to allow the students to interact with the text in a more concrete way.

A “Collection” of Strategies!

From Susan in Philadelphia School District.

Using the Rubrics from PDE: With your class, generate “student friendly”

rubrics. Student Work Sheet Constructed Response –

Graphic using the 3 point reading rubric Uses “Reading Responses” with lawyer talk. She gave us the ideas for glossary mini-

lessons!

A “Collection” of Strategies!

From Kelly in CIU 20 region.

Poster Support – “fading support”

Fraction

Percent

Decimal

1/4 25% .25

1/2 50% .50

3/4 75% .75

1/1 100% 1.00

A “Collection” of Strategies!More from Kelly in CIU 20 region.

Strategies/toolbox specific to test taking.

Name:_______________ (4Sight Test) 1 2 3 4 5

What tools/strategies/bright ideas WILL you use to be successful on the test?_____________________________________________

What WILL you do if you become frustrated while taking the test?_____________________________________________

What tools DID you use on the test?_____________________________________________

What DID you do when you got frustrated? Did it work? _______________________________________________________________

A “Collection” of Strategies!

From Maria in Upper Merion SD. PSSA- specific instructional strategies to

introduce students to rubrics: Present the rubric on an overhead

transparency, underlining key vocabulary. Discuss and explain key terms.

Explain each level of the rubric noting the use of words such as “all, most, some, few, or none” and their relationship to the scores 0 – 4.

A “Collection” of Strategies!

MORE from Maria in Upper Merion SD. Brainstorm and practice a problem together. Have students score their own work using the

Math. General Problem Solving Rubric and discuss how they can improve their scores! (up one more level is inherently motivating!)

Use the item sampler to illustrate the differences between a 4,3,2,1, and 0 score.

A “Collection” of Strategies!

EVEN MORE from Missy in CIU 20 region. Hang posters that explain formulas, key words,

vocabulary words Practice reading and solving different multiple

choice and open-ended questions by focusing on key words.

Use math notebooks to write key PSSA vocab, definitions, formulas, facts.

Conduct teacher “think alouds” while solving problems. “I know lunchtime is at 12:00. It’s 11?40 now. I can count by

fives to see how many minutes until lunchtime: 11:45, 11:50, 11:55, 12:00. I counted by fives four times, so that’s 20 minutes in all. Lunch is in 20 minutes.”

1. Show all the steps you used to solve the problem. If you used a calculator or did some of the work in your head, you must write a description of the steps that you followed.

AND2. Write an explanation stating the

mathematical reason(s) why you chose each of your steps.

Explanation Tips

Explanation Tips Encourage students to EXPLAIN their

work - not DESCRIBE it Description:

“I multiplied 5 and 20 to get 100” Explanation:

“I multiplied the number of quizzes and the number of points of each quiz to find the total points for the quizzes.”

Make sure ALL steps are explained. Encourage students not to use

numbers in their explanations – this will stop them from describing their work.

e.g. First I added $38.25 and $17 and got $55.25. Then I divided $55.25 by $4.25 to get my answer….

Explanation Tips

Assign Targeted Students to

Teacher/Coach Assigned teacher

follows students from PSSA preparation to PSSA test administration

Teacher assumes ownership responsibility for their group of students

Use All Allowable Testing Accommodations when Administering

PSSA Accommodations available online.

• Ensure Special Education Teacher have copies of Accommodations

• Review Accommodations with all teachers

• Devise a plan to put Accommodations in place

Best Accommodations Small group administration of test

(low teacher/student ratio provides needed support)

Simplify the directions and make sure student is clear about what to do

Teacher use of highlighters Adjust test taking time, give

students breaks

Many Students Do Poorly on Tests Because They are Confused by the

Format or Directions

Repeat and Clarify Directions

Provide Individual Assistance

Closely Monitor Redirect students to

specific questions/responses if they are experiencing difficulties

Special Education Teachers Need to be Knowledgeable About PSSA

Understand the Importance of the PSSA Accept that students with IEPs must

take the test and are expected to show improvement.

Be familiar with the format Know Allowable Accommodations Motivational Strategies Test-taking Strategies Active During Testing Connect Teacher Performance to

Student Results

Practice, practice, practice…

embed, embed, embed … before the test

Think about it…. “Talent wins games, but teamwork and

intelligence wins championships.” Michael Jordan

“People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society.” Vince Lombardi

“A pat on the back is only a few vertebrae removed from a kick in the pants, but is miles ahead in results.” Ella Wheeler Wilcox

“Teamwork divides the task and doubles the success.” Anonymous