Beth in SW WA Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Gang, Curious as to your experience thus far with SB testing prep. Favorite links/websites to help understand CC and the new testing? Dd 11 will take SB in spring. How important is this test? Where does The Hive stand on this topic? I've been out of the loop for a bit. Color me clueless.... Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Knowing how to type really helps. My mother (a public school elementary teacher) just gets all riled up about how frustrating it is to give these kids a test on the computer and ask them to type. It is not reasonable, as far as she is concerned, when so many have issues getting their ideas out because they cannot type effectively. I don't know if this is your child, but getting a quicky program and working a few minutes a day might take a lot of pressure off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 Gang, Curious as to your experience thus far with SB testing prep. Favorite links/websites to help understand CC and the new testing? Dd 11 will take SB in spring. How important is this test? Where does The Hive stand on this topic? I've been out of the loop for a bit. If she's in school they will spend a lot of (wasted) time practicing for the standardized test because that is how the teachers and schools get "scored". Tell your child to not worry at all and just do his/her best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 Part B "Favorite links/websites to help understand CC " Locate EngageNY and Eureka Math they have free downloads by grade level for Common Core Math both student and teacher material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted October 14, 2014 Share Posted October 14, 2014 I used to prep my kids for the old STAR tests but I'm not planning to for Smarter Balanced. I'm against CCSS and see no reason to pay them any more attention than I'm absolutely forced to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 OpenEd free http://assessments.opened.io/common-core-tests/?gclid=CNa50OGK88ICFYhafgodUVIAug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Just saw this thread. My older boy did the SBAC test run for California in May 2014 as 4th grader. The kids were generally happy coming out of the testing rooms as they prefer laptops and ipads to pencil and paper. My older finished early just as he did for the previous paper ones. You and your child can try out the aample in below link. My older tried the sample on his iPad just to be familiar with the interface. Kids don't get results for the Spring 2014 test as the state use it as a test run. http://sbac.portal.airast.org/practice-test/ ETA: My boy spent one or two days a year on test prep so not a big time waster. As long as he gets average or above the PS teachers leave him be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daria Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Part B "Favorite links/websites to help understand CC " Locate EngageNY and Eureka Math they have free downloads by grade level for Common Core Math both student and teacher material. I am probably a rarity in that I'm a homeschooler who really likes the Common Core. I'm also a teacher so I have experience with it in the classroom. Having said that, as someone who likes the CCSS, I'd be hesitant to recommend anything from EngageNY. I think that they've put out some really awful stuff, and a lot of what you hear about reaction to the Common Core, is reaction to the crappy materials NY has used to try and teach to the standards. The first thing I'd do to understand the Common Core is to read the actual standards, and the supporting documentation that the Common Core puts out. As a homeschooler, you probably know your kid's academic profile really well, so you may be able to get a sense from reading that of any gaps. I can't answer your question about how important the test is, because I think that varies from state to state. Here, the only tests that "matter" are the high school level ones, and they only matter if you're planning on enrolling in PS. The elementary school tests measure the performance of the school as a whole, and let them look at discrepancies between groups on a major level (e.g. how do low income kids compare to the group) but aren't used to make any judgments about individual kids. Finally, as to what to do to prepare, I'm in a PARCC state, so I don't have a lot of knowledge of Smarter Balanced, but I do think that the keyboarding curriculum from Handwriting Without Tears does a good job of teaching typing as well as some related skills like scrolling and editing, that can help a kid get ready for the tests. I like the Handwriting Without Tears keyboarding curriculum enough that I might use it to teach my kid to type, even if they weren't taking a test like PARCC or SB. Beyond that, I'm not sure I'd do much prepping unless you're in a high stakes state (e.g. one that doesn't let kids pass to the next grade if they don't pass, or one that uses test scores to group kids for middle school math). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Having said that, as someone who likes the CCSS, I'd be hesitant to recommend anything from EngageNY. I think that they've put out some really awful stuff, and a lot of what you hear about reaction to the Common Core, is reaction to the crappy materials NY has used to try and teach to the standards. My little one has been coming home from PS with a LOT of EngageNY stuff and I agree with the above assessment. Superficially it has similarities with Singapore Primary Math (number bonds and lots of word problems) but many of the worksheets I've seen sent home either as homework or completed classwork are just plain bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkT Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 My little one has been coming home from PS with a LOT of EngageNY stuff and I agree with the above assessment. Superficially it has similarities with Singapore Primary Math (number bonds and lots of word problems) but many of the worksheets I've seen sent home either as homework or completed classwork are just plain bad. I have never looked at it myself - my son's math teacher for Algebra 2 who also teaches elementary school math at the charter school was raving about it. NY state must of purchased/contracted it from the other outfit Eureka. It is free so lots of folks will use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daria Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I just realized which forum this was in, and if your kid is in PS it changes my answer. I'd find out if the tests are high stakes in any way for kids in your state. For example, some states don't let kids pass certain grades without passing the test, or use the test as a gate to keep kids out of Algebra in middle school. If your state doesn't do any of those things, then I wouldn't prepare at all. They'll be doing plenty of "prep" in class, and I'd concentrate on more important things outside of school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Gang, Curious as to your experience thus far with SB testing prep. Favorite links/websites to help understand CC and the new testing? Dd 11 will take SB in spring. How important is this test? Where does The Hive stand on this topic? I've been out of the loop for a bit. Color me clueless.... Thanks in advance! I don't do test prep, but in our schools, neither child nor teacher performance is evaluated based on normalized test scores, so it's an easy decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wilburngbrandon Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Ask your son join some learning center. Test prep is an important part. It builds a lot of confidence and also help to improve the score. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 I am probably a rarity in that I'm a homeschooler who really likes the Common Core. I'm also a teacher so I have experience with it in the classroom. Having said that, as someone who likes the CCSS, I'd be hesitant to recommend anything from EngageNY. I think that they've put out some really awful stuff, and a lot of what you hear about reaction to the Common Core, is reaction to the crappy materials NY has used to try and teach to the standards. The first thing I'd do to understand the Common Core is to read the actual standards, and the supporting documentation that the Common Core puts out. As a homeschooler, you probably know your kid's academic profile really well, so you may be able to get a sense from reading that of any gaps. I can't answer your question about how important the test is, because I think that varies from state to state. Here, the only tests that "matter" are the high school level ones, and they only matter if you're planning on enrolling in PS. The elementary school tests measure the performance of the school as a whole, and let them look at discrepancies between groups on a major level (e.g. how do low income kids compare to the group) but aren't used to make any judgments about individual kids. Finally, as to what to do to prepare, I'm in a PARCC state, so I don't have a lot of knowledge of Smarter Balanced, but I do think that the keyboarding curriculum from Handwriting Without Tears does a good job of teaching typing as well as some related skills like scrolling and editing, that can help a kid get ready for the tests. I like the Handwriting Without Tears keyboarding curriculum enough that I might use it to teach my kid to type, even if they weren't taking a test like PARCC or SB. Beyond that, I'm not sure I'd do much prepping unless you're in a high stakes state (e.g. one that doesn't let kids pass to the next grade if they don't pass, or one that uses test scores to group kids for middle school math). I also do not hate the common core but was appalled at its implementation in NY. If I want to test my DS to the Common Core, NY version, are there any resources for that. I think engageny posted some tests last year but since that source is not recommended I was wondering if there's any others? many thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daria Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 I also do not hate the common core but was appalled at its implementation in NY. If I want to test my DS to the Common Core, NY version, are there any resources for that. I think engageny posted some tests last year but since that source is not recommended I was wondering if there's any others? many thanks! MTP, I'm not entirely sure I understand what you're asking when you say "NY" version. The Common Core standards are the same nationwide, and NY is participating in the PARCC assessment. If you want to see how your student is doing relative to the standards, and predict how they might do on PARCC, you can use any assessment that's aligned with a Common Core curriculum. For math you could use a Saxon assessment, or a placement test for a program like Aleks.com. For reading, things are a little more confusing because you've got two separate things to look at. One is how well the child can do the things listed in the standards, and the other is what kind of text can they do it in. So, for example, I was reading today with a 7th grader who I tutor. This kid is wicked smart, but has specific decoding difficulties, and we were working with an abridged translation of the Odyssey written on a 3 - 4th grade reading level. In that context, he had no trouble doing the following, which is a 9 - 10th grade standard, but since he wasn't doing it in a book appropriate for a 9th grader, I wouldn't say he reads on a 9th grade level. Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. In contrast, I know 9th graders at my school who can read a much more robust translation of the Odyssey, like Fagles, but have trouble doing the higher level thinking. I wouldn't say they read on a 9th grade level. One way to assess this would be to look at appendix B of the standards: http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf Appendix B gives examples of text on each level, as well as tasks that a student could be asked to do. One thing I'd point out though is that the texts only include words (no pictures), so for the younger grades you'd probably want to get the actual book from the library. Asking your kid to read the books, and then do the tasks, would give you a decent sense of how they perform on the Common Core standards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted January 16, 2015 Share Posted January 16, 2015 If I want to test my DS to the Common Core, NY version, are there any resources for that. I think engageny posted some tests last year but since that source is not recommended I was wondering if there's any others? many thanks!Link below is not for NY but is the PARCC version LA http://parcc.pearson.com/practice-tests/english/ Math http://parcc.pearson.com/practice-tests/math/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 MTP, I'm not entirely sure I understand what you're asking when you say "NY" version. The Common Core standards are the same nationwide, and NY is participating in the PARCC assessment. If you want to see how your student is doing relative to the standards, and predict how they might do on PARCC, you can use any assessment that's aligned with a Common Core curriculum. For math you could use a Saxon assessment, or a placement test for a program like Aleks.com. For reading, things are a little more confusing because you've got two separate things to look at. One is how well the child can do the things listed in the standards, and the other is what kind of text can they do it in. So, for example, I was reading today with a 7th grader who I tutor. This kid is wicked smart, but has specific decoding difficulties, and we were working with an abridged translation of the Odyssey written on a 3 - 4th grade reading level. In that context, he had no trouble doing the following, which is a 9 - 10th grade standard, but since he wasn't doing it in a book appropriate for a 9th grader, I wouldn't say he reads on a 9th grade level. Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. In contrast, I know 9th graders at my school who can read a much more robust translation of the Odyssey, like Fagles, but have trouble doing the higher level thinking. I wouldn't say they read on a 9th grade level. One way to assess this would be to look at appendix B of the standards: http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf Appendix B gives examples of text on each level, as well as tasks that a student could be asked to do. One thing I'd point out though is that the texts only include words (no pictures), so for the younger grades you'd probably want to get the actual book from the library. Asking your kid to read the books, and then do the tasks, would give you a decent sense of how they perform on the Common Core standards. I bought Sandlier Oxford CC aligned LA for my 3rd grader and I can't figure out what on earth they are asking sometimes. I am not always sure those tests really measure comprehension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 MTP, I'm not entirely sure I understand what you're asking when you say "NY" version. The Common Core standards are the same nationwide, and NY is participating in the PARCC assessment. If you want to see how your student is doing relative to the standards, and predict how they might do on PARCC, you can use any assessment that's aligned with a Common Core curriculum. For math you could use a Saxon assessment, or a placement test for a program like Aleks.com. For reading, things are a little more confusing because you've got two separate things to look at. One is how well the child can do the things listed in the standards, and the other is what kind of text can they do it in. So, for example, I was reading today with a 7th grader who I tutor. This kid is wicked smart, but has specific decoding difficulties, and we were working with an abridged translation of the Odyssey written on a 3 - 4th grade reading level. In that context, he had no trouble doing the following, which is a 9 - 10th grade standard, but since he wasn't doing it in a book appropriate for a 9th grader, I wouldn't say he reads on a 9th grade level. Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. In contrast, I know 9th graders at my school who can read a much more robust translation of the Odyssey, like Fagles, but have trouble doing the higher level thinking. I wouldn't say they read on a 9th grade level. One way to assess this would be to look at appendix B of the standards: http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf Appendix B gives examples of text on each level, as well as tasks that a student could be asked to do. One thing I'd point out though is that the texts only include words (no pictures), so for the younger grades you'd probably want to get the actual book from the library. Asking your kid to read the books, and then do the tasks, would give you a decent sense of how they perform on the Common Core standards. Sorry I was not clear; many thanks for your informative post! Basically I'm trying to decide on whether to go over the local public school (NY) to have him take the test, or whether there was a version available I could administer and grade at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Link below is not for NY but is the PARCC version LA http://parcc.pearson.com/practice-tests/english/ Math http://parcc.pearson.com/practice-tests/math/ Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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