Transcript How Can I Help My Child Unlock the FCAT

How Can I Help My Child
Unlock the FCAT
Writing and Reading
FCAT
 F Florida’s
 C Comprehension
 A Assessment
 T Test
The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test® (FCAT)
is part of Florida’s overall plan to increase student
achievement by implementing higher standards.
What Score is The Key to
Mastery of the FCAT Writes
Level 4 or More!
FCAT Testing Schedule
 FCAT Writing Assessment
March 1-3
Important Information
The assessment will once again have only one
session (prompt/essay) and will be called
FCAT Writing.
Please come to school on time on March 1st!
The remaining days are for make-up and
ESOL/ESE accommodations.
How Can I Improve My Child’s
Writing?
 Please encourage your child to re-read what
they write, to add voice to their paper and
remember those WOW words!
“Exuberant” “iridescent” “Zany” “Zest”
How Can I Improve My Child’s Writing?
Please review daily, with your child, the
difference between an expository and a
narrative writing.
Narrative Writing
Narrative writing tells a story!
The Emperor’s New Clothes
“Is he an impoverished king?”
Expository Writing
Expository
writing’s is
to inform,
explain,
describe, or
define the
author's
subject to the
reader.
Ask Them Questions Like:
 What does an expository or narrative paper do?
 What are the parts of an expository or narrative
paper?
 What should you always include in your
expository and narrative essays to make it pop?
 What are wow words?
 Give me an example of a simile
 Give me an example of a metaphor
 Give me an example of a strong verb
FCAT Writing Rubric — Grade 4
 Score Points in Rubric
• 6 Points. The writing is focused on the topic, has a
logical organizational pattern (including a beginning,
middle, conclusion, and transitional devices), and has
ample development of the supporting ideas. The paper
demonstrates a sense of completeness or wholeness.
The writing demonstrates a mature command of
language including precision in word choice.
Subject/verb agreement and verb and noun forms are
generally correct. With few exceptions, the sentences are
complete, except when fragments are used purposefully.
Various sentence structures are used.
FCAT Writing Rubric — Grade 4
• 5 Points. The writing is focused on the topic with
adequate development of the supporting ideas. There is
an organizational pattern, although a few lapses may
occur. The paper demonstrates a sense of completeness
or wholeness. Word choice is adequate but may lack
precision. Most sentences are complete, although a few
fragments may occur. There may be occasional errors in
subject/verb agreement and in standard forms of verbs
and nouns, but not enough to impede communication.
The conventions of punctuation, capitalization, and
spelling are generally followed. Various sentence
structures are used.
FCAT FCAT Writing Rubric — Grade 4
• 4 Points. The writing is generally focused on the topic,
although it may contain some extraneous or loosely
related information. An organizational pattern is evident,
although lapses may occur. The paper demonstrates a
sense of completeness or wholeness. In some areas of
the response, the supporting ideas may contain specifics
and details, while in other areas, the supporting ideas
may not be developed. Word choice is generally
adequate. Knowledge of the conventions of punctuation
and capitalization is demonstrated, and commonly used
words are usually spelled correctly. There has been an
attempt to use a variety of sentence structures, although
most are simple constructions.
FCAT Writing Rubric — Grade 4
 Unscorable. The paper is unscorable
because • the response is not related to what
the prompt requested the student to do, • the
response is simply a rewording of the prompt,
• the response is a copy of a published work,
• the student refused to write, • the response
is written in a foreign language, • the
response is illegible, • the response is
incomprehensible (words are arranged in
such a way that no meaning is conveyed), •
the response contains an insufficient amount
of writing to determine if the student was
attempting to address the prompt, or • the
writing folder is blank.
What Score is The Key to
Mastery of the FCAT Reading
No Less than a Level 3!
FCAT Testing Schedule
 FCAT Reading and Math
April 11 – 22, 2011
FCAT
 F Florida’s
 C Comprehension
 A Assessment
 T Test
The assessments consists of criterion-referenced tests
(CRT) measuring selected benchmarks in reading and
other subject areas based upon the Sunshine State
Standards (SSS).
Reading Benchmarks Addressed
on the FCAT
WORDS & PHRASES IN CONTEXT
 meaning of words in context
 word analysis
Reading Benchmarks--Continued
MAIN IDEA, PLOT & PURPOSE
 main idea
 supporting details
 chronological order
 author’s purpose in a simple text plot
 development & conflict
Reading Benchmarks--Continued
COMPARISONS & CAUSE/EFFECT
 use of comparison & contrast
 cause & effect relationships
 similarities & differences among
characters, settings, events
Reading Benchmarks--Continued
REFERENCE & RESEARCH
 • organization & interpretation of
information
How is my child preparing for the FCAT
Reading in school?
 Weekly Reading Assessments
 Small Group, in which students practice reading
texts at their own reading level and through social
studies and science connections (I.e. finding the
author’s purpose and main idea of texts in those
subject areas.
 Individual Intervention with instruction created to
meet the individual need of the students.
 Homework and special assignments which help
supplement taught benchmarks.
How Can I Help My Child Prepare At Home?
 Encourage your child to read non-fiction (true) texts
(including menus, maps, charts, instruction manuals,
newspapers, etc.). These reading materials comprise 40%
of FCAT passages.
 Make sure your child completes his or her homework
assignments. Homework helps reinforce what’s taught in
the classroom.
 Encourage your child to attend Saturday school!
 Read aloud with your child. Make reading aloud a bedtime
routine. Alternate between reading to your child and having
him read to you to ensure he hears fluent reading and
practices his reading strategies (Visualizing, Summarizing,
Asking Questions, Making Connections, Predicting, Fluent
Reading).
How Can I Help My Child Prepare At Home?
 Encourage your child to create a personal dictionary.
 Read and discuss a newspaper article with your child. Ask
him what was the main idea and to list or discuss the
supporting details. Many FCAT questions ask the student
to pick out or find the main idea in a passage or paragraph.
You could extend this activity to your favorite television
program.
 When your watching a DVD stop and ask your child to
predict what they expect to happen next.
 The night before, make sure your child gets plenty of rest
and arrives at school on time. Encourage your child not to
skip breakfast! The body needs fuel to think!
In Summation:
Most importantly, be encouraging during FCAT
testing. Remember this may be a stressful time
and your child may need a little extra love.
And finally parents, Thank you for supporting our
efforts. We look forward to a successful
outcome! Onward and Upward!
At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to
a child's success is the positive involvement of
parents.
---Jane D. Hull Noted Educator and Philanthropist
Resources
 http://fcat.fldoe.org/pdf/rubrcw04.pdf
 http://fcat.fldoe.org/default.asp
 http://schools.firn.edu/websites/broward/tra
dewinds_elementary_school/classrooms/lisa
_widelitz/fcat_information.htm
 http://fcat.fldoe.org/aboutfcat/english/writin
g/writing.html