PACT BluePrints for Success

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PACTBluePrints for Success

• By Gena McCall Meredith
• January, 2000

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BluePrints

• Information for teachers about preparing students
  for the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Tests in
• Math
• Reading/English Language Arts

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Sample Questions

• To describe the test at each grade, you will
  find
• number of test item points
• percentage of item points for each strand in the
  standards
• types of questions that could be asked
• sample items with standards
• special notes
• http//www.state.sc.us/sde/test123/blueprnt.htm

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Using the Standards

• Standards are divided by grade level
• Mathmatics South Carolina Curriculum Standards
• Reading/English Language Arts South Carolina
  Curriculum Standards
• K-12 Curriculum Standards Web Page
• http//www.state.sc.us/sde/test123/standard.htm

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Big Ideas in Math Standards

• Big Ideas may cross several grades
• Represent important content that serves as
  gateway standards at the end of grades 3, 6, and
  8
• Certain content must be taught at varying levels
  at all the preceding grades
• Labeled A through L
• Compare grade levels
• http//www.state.sc.us/sde/educator/standard/math/
  magbgstd.htm

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Reading/English Language Arts Standards
Major Strands
Five Areas

• Using Language to Learn
• Using the Conventions and Forms of Language
• Using Language to Communicate
• Appreciating Language

• Reading
• Writing
• Listening
• Speaking
• Research

http//www.state.sc.us/sde/educator/standard/langa
rts/lagbgstd.htm
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Guidebook for Teachers and Administrators

• Developed to assist teachers with designing local
  curricula and
• planning instruction and classroom assessment

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Prepare Students for Success

• Curriculum Standards
• Guidebook
• BluePrints

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Areas to Be TestedMathematics

• Number and Numeration Systems
• Numerical and Algebraic Concepts and Operations
• Patterns, Relationships, and Functions
• Geometry and Spatial Sense
• Measurement
• Probability and Statistics

• Six Strands tested
• Degree of emphasis varies by grade level
• Content emphasis represents the approx. of item
  points

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Standards to Be TestedMathematics

• All standards will be assessed except
• those shown in italics
• standards for accelerated students
• preparatory standards (covered later)

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Areas to Be TestedReading/English Language Arts
Reading
Speaking

• All five areas tested except speaking
• Some PACT items test more than one area
• Content emphasis is listed for each of five areas
  tested
• represents approx. of item points

Listening
Research
Writing
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Types of Test ItemsMath

• Multiple-choice
• Open-response
• Open-ended

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MathMultiple-choice Items

• Grades 3 through 7
• generally select from four alternatives
• a few items may have two or three choices
• Grade 8 and Exit Exam
• generally select from five alternatives
• a few items may have three or four choices
• Each item is scored as right or wrong and has a
  value of 1 point

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MathOpen-response Items

• Require a brief response that may be as short as
  a few words or a sentence
• ex. filling in blanks in a chart or Venn diagram
• Generally have a value of 1 point

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MathOpen-Ended Items

• Generally require a more elaborate response
• Allows students to demonstrate strategies or
  steps use for the solution to a problem
• ex. Complete a graph and show all work when
  solving a multi-step mathematics problem.
• Most scored on a scale from 0 to 2 points or 0 to
  3 points
• a few may be scored on a scale from 0 to 4 points
  or 0 to 5 points

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MathHow Much Should a Student Write?

• The item will clearly indicate what a student
  must provide in the answer
• The amount of space or number of lines will
  provide with an idea of the length of the
  response
• A number bracket will be found after the item
  indicating the max. point value
• Written responses may be completed in print or
  cursive and will be scored provided they are
  legible

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Types of Test ItemsReading/English Language Arts

• Multiple-choice
• Open-response
• Open-ended
• Extended-response

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Reading/English Language Arts Multiple-Choice
Items

• Grades 1 through 7
• generally select from four alternatives
• a few items may have two or three choices
• Grade 8 and Exit Exam
• generally select from five alternatives
• a few items may have three or four choices
• Each item is scored as right or wrong and has a
  value of 1 point

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Reading/English Language Arts Open-response Items

• Require a brief response that may be as short as
  a few words or a sentence
• ex. Identify the main ideas from a story.
• ex. Fill in the blanks in some charts, Venn
  diagrams, or other graphic organizers.
• Generally have a value of 1 point

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Reading/English Language Arts Open-Ended Items

• Generally require a more elaborate response
• Examples
• Write a paragraph
• Edit a short passage
• Fill in missing parts of graphic organizers
• Complete cause and effect tables
• Analyze or evaluate readings and explain an
  authors purpose by writing several sentences to
  several paragraphs
• Most scored on a scale from 0 to 2 points or 0 to
  3 points
• a few may be scored on a scale from 0 to 4 points

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Reading/English Language Arts Extended-response
Items

• Require lengthy written response
• One for grades 3 through 5
• Two for grades 6 and up
• Students response is based on a prompt
• Full composition with editing is required
• two or three paragraphs in grade 3
• several paragraphs in grades 4 and 5
• two or three pages in middle and high school
• May be expository, persuasive, descriptive or
  narrative depending on the prompt
• Response may be in the form of a letter

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Reading/English Language Arts Extended-response
Items

• Two Types
• Dependent upon or related to the passage
• Independent of reading passages
• Grades 3 to 5 prompts may be independent or
  dependent
• Grades 6, 7, and 8 and for the exit exam each
  assessment will include one dependent and one
  independent writing prompt

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Reading/English Language Arts Scoring
Extended-response Items

• Grade 1
• Content/Development - 3 points
• Conventions - 2 points
• See Scoring Guide Grade 1, page Scoring - 2

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Reading/English Language Arts Scoring
Extended-response Items

• Grade 2
• Content/Development - 3 points
• Audience Awareness - 2 points
• Conventions - 2 points
• See Scoring Guide Grade 2, page Scoring - 3

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Reading/English Language Arts Scoring
Extended-response Items

• Independent Writing Grades 3 through 8 and Exit
  Exam
• Content and Development - 4 points
• Organization - 4 points
• Voice - 3 points
• Conventions - 4 points
• See Scoring Guide Grades 3-12 (Independent),
  page Scoring - 4

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Reading/English Language Arts Scoring
Extended-response Items

• Dependent Writing Grades 6 through 8 and Exit
  Exam
• Same as Independent Writing
• No Dependent Writing for Grades 3 through 5
• See Scoring Guide Grades 6-12 (Dependent), page
  Scoring - 5

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Reading/English Language Arts Scoring
Extended-response Items

• Papers that are illegible, off topic, contain
  insufficient writing, or have no response are
  scored 0 points

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Reading/English Language Arts Scoring
Extended-response Items

• Graphic organizers are not scored
• Students are expected to edit the first draft
• Students may rewrite the first draft and produce
  a final draft or they may edit the first draft
  neatly and not rewrite the draft
• Compositions may be written in print or cursive
• Students may receive credit for a well-written
  response that is less than the length indicated
• Students will be given Did you remember to
  checklist

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Reading/English Language Arts Extended-response
Items
Did you remember to

• Write original ideas that are interesting to
  other people?
• Write so it is easy to follow?
• Choose works carefully to express your ideas?

• Stay on topic?
• Check spelling?
• Check punctuation?
• Check for correct use of capital letters?

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Reading/English Language Arts Writing
Requirements

• Response must be legible to be scored
• may be completed in print or cursive
• Grade 3 students are required to write legibly in
  cursive when instructed in specific items
• unless specified, students may write in print or
  cursive
• Some Open-ended items will instruct students to
  respond in complete sentences
• scoring criteria will include scoring for the
  content and scoring for correct usage, grammar,
  spelling, and punctuation

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Reading/English Language Arts How Much Should a
Student Write?

• The question will clearly indicate the length of
  the writing
• The number of lines will provide students with an
  idea of the length of a response
• A number in a bracket will be found after
  open-response and open-ended items indicating the
  max. point value

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Reading/English Language ArtsListening

• Test administrator will read the listening
  section to the students twice
• The section will not appear in the students test
  booklets
• Students will be permitted to take notes
• Students will follow instructions given by the
  administrator for responding to the test items
  based on what was read
• The Listening portion will occur at the beginning
  of the testing session

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Technology Standards

• Tested at end of grades 5 and 8
• No access to technology for PACT
• Limited number of paper and pencil items
• Interpret info. from a spreadsheet
• Discuss how to use technology for conducting
  research.

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Hierarchy of TermsBlooms Taxonomy

• Specific terminology is used throughout the
  standards to illustrate the level to which the
  concept should be taught
• These terms have been categorized into six levels
• Level 1 is the lowest and level 6 the highest
• Concepts may be tested up to and including the
  level represented by the term used

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Hierarchy of TermsBlooms Taxonomy
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Types of Curriculum Standards

• Preparatory Standards
• Target Standards

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Preparatory Standards

• Provide background information for concepts that
  will be taught at a later grade
• Schools may include concepts at the grade level
  where they are listed, particularly for
  accelerated students
• Questions will appear on the test at a later
  grade
• Preparatory standards for a specific grade are
  listed under the Special Notes section in the
  Blueprint for that grade level

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Target Standards

• Target standards must be taught at the grade
  level indicated
• The assessment at that grade level will contain
  questions based on these standards
• When specific information about a target standard
  is necessary, it will be listed under the section
  labeled Special Notes
• See page 6 of Math BluePrint for example

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