Understanding State Assessments

Objectives for today

1. What the code says about testing2. What is NJSLA ELA and Math3. What is ACCESS for ELLs4. How do these exams help my child’s

academics

What the code (law) says about testing...

N.J.A.C.6A:8-4.(b) The commissioner shall implement a system and related schedule of Statewide assessments to evaluate student achievement of the NJSLS.

N.J.A.C.6A:8-4.(c) District boards of education shall, according to a schedule prescribed by the Commissioner, administer the applicable Statewide assessments…

N.J.A.C.6A:8-4.(d)Pursuant to (b) and (c) above, all students at grade levels three through 12, and any other grade(s) designated by the Commissioner pursuant to…, shall take all appropriate Statewide assessments as scheduled.

What the code (law) says about testing...

N.J.A.C.6A:8-4.1. District boards of education shall [provide appropriate accommodations or modifications to the Statewide assessment system as specified by the Department for ELLs and students with disabilities…

i. District boards of education may administer the Statewide assessments in mathematics to ELLs in their native language, when available, and/or English.

ii. District boards of education shall have the option for a first-year ELL of substituting a Department-approved language proficiency test only for the Englosh language arts section of the elementary or middle school component of the Statewide assessment, when the student has entered the United States after July 1 of the calendar year prior to the test administration.

Statewide Assessments for ELLs

1. New Jersey Student Learning Assessments (NJSLA)

2. Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State. (ACCESS).

What is the NJSLA Test?

● Students in grades 3-11 will participate in an online assessment called New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA).

● The NJSLA tests are in three sections: English language arts, mathematics and science

● El examen de ciencia se administra solamente a los grados 5, 8, y 11.

What is the NJSLA ELA?ELA (English Language Arts)

● Ability to read complex (high level) information and literary (fictional) texts.

● Comprehend a variety of complex passages.

● Write, using evidence from the text or media, to support an argument.

What is the NJSLA ELA?3 Units:

● Research Simulation Task

● Literary Analysis Task

● Narrative Task

What is the NJSLA ELA?

To Succeed on the ELA test students must…● Be comfortable with reading passages in science and social studies - use text features

● Analyze text passages

● Create and communicate arguments using evidence from multiple sources.

● Find evidence to support arguments

● Understand author’s point of view

● Understand how point of view influences author’s texts

Accessibility and Accommodations forEnglish Language LearnersELLs are:●Students in Transitional Bilingual Classrooms ●SD (Spanish Dominant students) in Dual Language Classrooms●Sheltered studentsELL Accommodations are:●Word to word dictionary (English/Native Language)●Unlimited time (one school day)●Pencil & Paper test (available for both ELA and Math)●Test in Spanish (available for the Math portion only)●General administration directions clarified in student’s native language●General administration directions read aloud and repeated as needed in student’s native language

What is the NJSLA Math?

Expectations:Math

● Solve computational problems

● Express mathematical reasoning

● Demonstrate their understanding by modeling how to solve the

problem and expressing how they got the answer or their justification

of the answer.

To Succeed on the Math test students must…● Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them

● Reason abstractly and quantitatively

● Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others

● Model with mathematics

● Use appropriate tools strategically

● Attend to precision

● Look for and make use of structure

● Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning

Encourage your child to…

● Be good mathematicians at home

● Perseverance and the mathematical practices

● Practice key fluencies

● Provide opportunities for practice of technology skills

● Show your love for fractions

ACCESS for ELLs 2.0Ⓡ

● Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-To-State

● Measure academic English in all 4 language domains, oral language, literacy, and comprehension

● Composite Proficiency Level is 35% Reading + 35% Writing + 15% Listening + 15% Speaking

6-REACHINGKnows and uses social and academic language at the highest level measured bythe ACCESS for ELLs

5-BRIDGINGKnows and uses social and academic language working with grade level material

EXPANDINGKnows and uses social English and some technical academic language

3-DEVELOPINGKnows and uses social English and some specific academic language with visual and graphic support

2-EMERGINGKnows and uses some social English and general academic language with visual and graphic support

1-ENTERINGKnows and uses minimal social language and minimal academic language with visual and graphic support

How to read ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 ISR

How to read ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 ISR

How to read ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 ISR