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The new state tests in grades 6-8
What
families need to know
This
school year, children in grades 6, 7 and 8 will take new
state tests in English language arts and math. Similar
exams have been in place for eighth graders for a number
of years, as have tests in second languages, science,
social studies and technology.
Although
testing at all levels can provide useful feedback about
how well children are learning their lessons, testing
during the junior high school years is considered
particularly important.
The
pre-teen years are a time of rapid change for kids.
Physically, socially and emotionally, the years between
10 and 13 rival the first three years of children's
lives in terms of growth. Often, all this upheaval can
leave kids less self-assured and less interested in
academics.
However,
demanding state and national learning standards don't
allow students the luxury of taking a break from
academics during the middle school years. Everything
about school today—from the courses students take to the
tests they need to pass in order to graduate—is more
demanding than ever before. Success with their junior
high school lessons now will help students excel later
on.
Testing
children regularly throughout the junior high school
years is one way of ensuring that they are progressing
academically. Such tests help show whether children need
additional help to confidently move ahead in school.
These tests will also help teachers identify where the
curriculum might need to be fine-tuned to better meet
students' needs.
A look
at the new junior high school tests
The new
state tests are carefully designed to reflect the types
of information and skills that children are expected to
learn at their respective grade levels. Although
students will be given opportunities throughout the year
to become familiar with the format of these tests, the
school year will not be spent drilling for these exams.
Instead, the primary focus of junior high school
education is on expanding children's knowledge in many
subject areas, teaching them to be more self-reliant and
preparing them for the academic challenges that lay
ahead.
The
English language arts (ELA) tests
The
English language arts tests are administered in two
sessions for students in grade 7 and three sessions in
grades 6 and 8. These exams are designed to measure
students' abilities in reading, listening and writing.
The tests contain a variety of questions including
multiple choice, short—and extended—response and editing
tasks.
Math
The middle
school mathematics tests are administered in two
sessions in grades 6 and 7 and three sessions in grade
8. They are designed to assess how well students have
mastered the newly proposed mathematics learning
standard.
At all
grade levels, students will apply the skills and
knowledge gained in the classroom in order to answer
three types of questions: multiple-choice,
short-response, and extended-response.
Sample
questions:
Sample
listening question (grade 6)
After
listening to a story about Sojourner Truth, a woman
whose heroic life inspired many both before and after
the Civil War, students will answer questions such as
the following:
1. Why do
you think Sojourner Truth changed her name from the one
she was given when she was born? Was her choice of name
a good one? Write an essay in which you explain why
Sojourner Truth changed her name, what that name
represented to her, and whether the name was a good
choice. Use details from the article to support your
answer. In your answer, be sure to include:
-
why Sojourner
Truth changed her name
-
what her new
name represented to her
-
whether her
new name was a good choice
-
details from
the article to support your answer
Check your
writing for correct spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Sample
editing question (grade 7)
There are
some mistakes in this paragraph. Some sentences may have
more than one mistake, and other sentences may contain
no mistakes at all. There are no mistakes in spelling.
Read the paragraph and find the mistakes. Draw a line
through each mistake in the paragraph. Then write the
correction above it.
When you
look up at the night sky, you see the beautiful stars
shining, you see a full moon. The view from space can be
quite another matter, though. From Earth you cannot see
none of the nuts, bolts, paint chips, and other assorted
pieces of space debris orbits Earth every day. The worst
thing about space debris is not it's ugly appearance;
space debris can be extremely dangerously. These bits of
metal and other junk travels through the air at speeds
greater than 20,000 miles an hour and can create serious
damage.
Sample
math short response question (grade 6)
Elissa and
Matt bought 7/8 of a yard of fabric to make a class
project. They used only 1/3 of a yard. How much fabric
was left? Show your work.
Answer:
yard
Sample
math multiple choice question (grade 8)
The
regular price of a CD is $18.00. If the CD is on sale
for 15% off the regular price, what is the sale price?
A $2.70
B $15.30
C $16.20
D $16.50 |
