Title: Welcome to the TAYLOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
1Welcome to theTAYLOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
2MassachusettsComprehensiveAssessmentSystem
3Why does my child need to take the MCAS?
- The law requires all public school students in
Massachusetts to take part in the MCAS - MCAS measures performance based on Massachusetts
Curriculum Frameworks Learning Standards - MCAS provides a measure of accountability for
students, schools, and districts - In grade 10, students must pass English Language
Arts and Math (Class of 2010 must pass Science
and Technology/Engineering, Class of 2012 must
pass US History) - ELL students
4Questions to be answered today
- What is MCAS?
- When was MCAS?
- What tests did my child take part in?
- How many sessions of testing did my child
participate in? - How many questions did my child answer?
- What type of questions was my child asked?
- What do I do with the information I received?
- What does the school do with the information from
MCAS? - How can I support my child for future MCAS?
- Where can I find additional information?
5What is MCAS?
- MCAS an assessment designed to meet requirements
of Educational Reform Law of 1993 - All tests are un-timed
- Grade 3 MCAS Reading and Math
- Grade 4 MCAS Composition, Reading, and Math
- Composition-rough draft and final copy
- Reading-3 sessions over a two week period
- Practice is a one paragraph story with 3
questions - Read selection and answer multiple choice and
open response questions - Multiple choice-1 point each
- Open Response based on each questions (see
fraction)
6What is MCAS?
- Math-2 sessions over a two week period.
- Practice is multiple choice and short answer
- The test is assesses
- Number Sense and Operations
- Patterns, Relationships ,and Algebra
- Geometry
- Measurement
- Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability
- The test has multiple choice, short answer, and
open response questions - Multiple choice-1 point each
- Short answer-1 point each (refer to each question
for scoring guide) - Open Response- based on each question (refer to
each question for scoring guide)
7When was MCAS?
- Grade 3 MCAS
- -Reading end of March/beginning of April
- -Math middle of May
- Grade 4 MCAS
- -Long Composition March 25
- -Reading end of March/beginning of April
- -Math middle of May
8How many questions did my child answer?
- Reading
- selection followed by multiple choice questions
and open response questions - Last year children responded to 60 questions
only 42 were scored questions - MATH
- Arrangement of word problems, tables, graphs,
number sentences with higher order math skills
embedded - There were only 3 computation problems
- Last year children responded to 50 questions
only 35 were scored questions
9What type of questions was my child asked?
- The release questions from past tests are
available through - The Department of education website (for all
grades dating back to 2003) - http//www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/testitems.html
10Childrens author Joanna Cole is best known for
her Magic School Bus books. Read this selection
about her and then answer the questions that
follow. Joanna Cole by Deborah Kovacs and James
Preller
- BornAugust 11, 1944, in Newark, New Jersey
- Home Sandy Hook, Connecticut
- W hats Joanna Cole interested in? Well, just
about everything. And when Joanna Cole is
interested in something, she usually writes a
book about it. Shes written about fleas,
cockroaches, dinosaurs, chicks, fish,
saber-toothed tigers, frogs, horses, snakes,
cars, puppies, insects, and (whew!) babies. - I was never one of those wonderful students who
gets straight As and everything right on the
tests, says Joanna Cole. But Ive always been
obsessed with logical thinking. I used to argue
with my teachers when things didnt make sense to
me. - Joanna grew up in East Orange, New Jersey. Her
interest in science grew from her natural
curiosity about the world in which she lived. We
had a small backyard, and I was the gardener in
the family. I spent a lot of time planting
flowers, daydreaming, watching ants, and catching
bugs.
- IT BEGAN WITHCOCKROACHES
- All writers must begin somewhere, and Joanna Cole
began her career by writing about cockroaches.
Joanna was working as a library-teacher in a
Brooklyn elementary school when her father gave
her an article. Joanna remembers, It was about
cockroaches and how they were here before the
dinosaurs. It got me thinking about all those
science books Id read as a kidinsects had been
a special interest of mineand it occurred to me
that there wasnt one about cockroaches. - As a nonfiction writer, Joanna does a lot of
research before she writes a single word. The
impossible dream is to know everything, she
says. When you are writing the book, you must
select what you want to go into the book. What
always happens is that more things are left out
than can go in. - I have a question that I ask myself as I write
Why does the reader want to turn the page? I
never feel that kids are going to turn the page
just because its there to turn. There has to be
a question thats in a readers mindand he or
she turns the page to find the answers.
11 - its fun to be a writer. That question always
leaves me a little speechless. Because the answer
is, of course, yes and no. When its going well,
theres nothing more exhilarating. But its so
much work! - Joanna has been praised by both teachers and
children for being able to make science
interesting and understandable. And now, with the
Magic School Bus series, shes done the
impossibleshes made science funny. - Before I started writing the first Magic School
Bus book, I had a lot of lofty goalsand I had no
idea whether they could be achieved. I wanted it
to be a very good science book. I also wanted it
to be a good story, a story you might read even
without the science. And I wanted it to be
genuinely funny. Well this was terrifying to me.
I couldnt work at all. I cleaned out closets,
answered letters, went shoppinganything but sit
down and write. But eventually I did it, even
though I was scared. - The Magic School Bus books were a huge success.
Readers across the country loved them. They
especially loved the wacky science teacher, Ms.
Frizzle. We were concerned that teachers might
be offended by Ms. Frizzle, with her crazy
clothes.
- But whats happened is that teachers love her.
Whenever Bruce Degen, the illustrator, and I go
to schools, theres almost always somebody
dressed as Ms. Frizzle. The teachers are even
asking for Ms. Frizzle outfits. - In addition to her many science books, Joanna
Cole has written over twenty books of fiction
including Dont Tell the Whole World, The
Clown-Arounds, Bony-Legs, Doctor Change, Monster
Manners, and The Missing Tooth. - Joanna Cole finds pleasure and excitement in each
new project she takes on. When I was starting to
write The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body,
I didnt know whose body the bus would travel in.
Then I thought of the idea that Ms. Frizzle and
her class would go into Arnolds body, and that
he would eat them as Cheesie Wheesies. That was
one of the happiest moments of my life. I was
walking on clouds all day.
12Mark your choices for multiple-choice questions
13 through 20 by filling in the circle next to
the best answer.
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17What type of information will I receive after the
test?
- With your childs results you will receive a
guide to reading the report (green pamphlet) as
well as a legend on the Parent/Guardian Report. - The Parent/Guardian Report will show how well
your third grade child performed in Reading and
Math compared to the average performance of third
grade students at the Taylor School, the town of
Foxborough and the state overall. - The Parent/Guardian Report will show range of
scores (performance level) and the test item
scores for your child.
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21How can I support my child for MCAS?
- Keep stress level down.
- Make sure your child has a good nights rest,
eats properly, and gets to school on time every
day. - Emphasize MCAS has no impact on your childs
report card, grades, or promotion and encourage
your child to do their best. - Communicate with your childs teacher regularly
to see how the family can support your childs
learning at school.
22How can I support my child for MCAS?
- Ask your child about the homework that is due
tomorrow and next week, and make sure it gets
done. Send your child to school prepared to
learn. - Ask your child to explain to you what he or she
is studying. These conversations help you to
follow your childs progress, and help him or her
to remember what has been learned. - Encourage your child to use Study Island at home.
- Username is their student number_at_taylor
- password is last name in all capitals
23Where can I find additional information?
- The Taylor School Website
- http//foxborough.k12.ma.us/fpsweb/TAY/TAYindex.h
tml - The Department of Education www.doe.mass.edu
- all test items from past MCAS tests are available
at http//www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/testitems.html