GACE -- MGE Teacher Certification KSU Workshop Fall 2007.

GACE -- MGE

Teacher Certification

KSU Workshop

Fall 2007

What is ? • The Georgia Professional Standards Commission

(PSC) has contracted with National Evaluation Systems (NES®) to assist in the development and administration of the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators® (GACE®).

• The purpose of the GACE is to assess the knowledge and skills of prospective Georgia public school educators. The GACE program helps the PSC meet its goal of ensuring that candidates have the knowledge and skills needed to perform the job of an educator in Georgia public schools.

• The GACE are aligned with state and national standards for educator preparation and with state standards for the P–12 student curriculum (Georgia Performance Standards).

• The GACE are criterion-referenced, objective-based assessments designed to measure a candidate’s knowledge and skills in relation to an established standard rather than in relation to the performance of other candidates.

• The tests were developed in consultation with committees of Georgia educators, educator preparation faculty, and other content and assessment specialists.

• Test questions were reviewed and approved by committees of Georgia educators.

• The passing score for each test is established by the PSC and is based on the professional judgments and recommendations of Georgia educators.

What is ?

www.gace.nesinc.com

Test Sites

Site Map

Registration Calendar

MGE Content

Time Formats

• Morning 4 hour session– One or two content tests

• Afternoon 4 hour session– One or two content tests

“… you are automatically given … four hours to take one test … if you register for only one test per test session or test administration…” p. 23 GACE registration bulletin

Scheduling from 4 tests

1. LA & Math 7:45AM–12:30PM

2. Science, SS 1:00PM-5:45PM

In one test session, you may take

two middle grades tests

Possibilities

Two in AM or two in PM

One each AM and PM

Personal Information

E-mail option(unofficial scores)

Test Fees

Costs & Fees

1. Middle grades: Content LA, Math, Sci, SS

TAKE two @ $65 each

2. Registration fee

– Many additional fees available

$130

$ 20

$150

If two dates, adjust accordingly

Accommodations

Mail or Internet Early

Scores range 100 to 300

Middle Grades Language Arts

Middle Grades Mathematics

Middle Grades Science

Middle Grades Social Science

220 is passing score

Professional Exams

• Accountant

• Lawyer

• Doctor

• Teacher

CPA exam

Bar

GACEBoards

Study Strategies

Preparing for the Tests

• GACE Test Frameworks & Prep

Middle Grades Content

Details at

www.gace.nesinc.com

http://www.gace.nesinc.com/

GACE website

• Study relevant section (for EACH)

– Test Design

– Frameworks

– Sample Test

– Study Sample Answers

• Check web for additional details

Language Arts

Language Arts

• Reading Literature & Informational Texts

• Reading Across the Curriculum

• Writing Processes, Purposes, & Conventions

• Listening, Speaking, & Viewing

Language Arts

Mathematics & Science

Calculator (SCIENTIFIC) provided.

NO graphing calculators allowed

Mathematics

• Numbers & Operations

• Measurement & Geometry

• Patterns, Algebra, & Functions

• Data Analysis & Probability

• Mathematical Processes & Perspectives Provided

Mathematics

Science

Science • Earth Science (includes Space)

• Life Science

• Physical Science (includes Chemistry)

• Characteristics of ScienceProvided

Science

Social Science

Social Science • U.S. History• World Regions

– Latin America– Canada– Europe– Africa & Asia– Australia & Oceania

• Georgia Studies & Social Science Skills

Social Science

Reading

Reading • Reading & Literature

• Reading Across the Curriculum

• Comprehension

• Assessment

Sample Test Elements


• Selected Response Questions = 60

(Multiple Choice)

• Constructed Response Assignments = 2

(Essay)


• Selected Response Questions = 60

(Multiple Choice)

Content &

Elimination Strategy 1. Which of the following best describes the main cause

of conflict between Native Americans and English settlers during the seventeenth century?A. English efforts to convert Native Americans to

Christianity

B. English expansion westward from the Atlantic coast

C. English refusal to include Native Americans in colonial governments

D. English interference with the Native American fur trade

Social Science

Content &


of conflict between Native Americans and English settlers during the seventeenth century?A. English efforts to convert Native Americans to

Christianity


C. English refusal to include Native Americans in colonial governments

D. English interference with the Native American fur trade

Social Science

Narrow down to two possible answers (eliminate two), then guess.

Content &


of conflict between Native Americans and English settlers during the seventeenth century?


The main cause of conflict between Native Americans and English settlers during the seventeenth century was the encroachment of settlers on Native American lands as they moved westward from the Atlantic coast. Bacon's Rebellion and King Philip's War are two important examples …

Content Vocabulary

8. The physics term inertia is sometimes

used metaphorically in other contexts to

mean:A. a resistance to change.

B. an aversion to cold.

C. an opposition to authority.

D. a hindrance to growth.

Language Arts

Content Vocabulary




B. an aversion to cold.

C. an opposition to authority.

D. a hindrance to growth.

Language Arts

Content Vocabulary




In physics, the term inertia means the tendency of a body at rest to remain at rest, or of a body in motion to remain in motion, unless acted on by an outside force. The term is sometimes used metaphorically to mean resistance to change.

Mathematics

Content Vocabulary

Mathematics

Content Vocabulary

Content Vocabulary

S B is the set that includes all of the days of the week ∪on which soccer practice, ballet practice, or both occur. The complement of (S B ) is the set containing the ∪days of the week on which no practices occur, in this case Sunday and Friday.

“Best” Answer

6. When providing middle school students with independent reading materials to choose from, it is most important to include materials that:A. address universal and timeless themes.B. are contemporary and attractive to young readers.C. contain unusual and challenging ideas.D. are accessible to young readers with limited reading

skills.

Language Arts

“Best” Answer

6. When providing middle school students with independent reading materials to choose from, it is most important to include materials that:A. address universal and timeless themes.B. are contemporary and attractive to young readers.C. contain unusual and challenging ideas.D. are accessible to young readers with limited reading

skills.

Language Arts

“Best” Answer

6. When providing middle school students with independent reading materials to choose from, it is most important to include materials that:

B. are contemporary and attractive to young readers.

A major purpose of encouraging students to read independently is to promote their enjoyment of reading; enjoyment, in turn, is widely held to contribute to improving students' reading skills. Middle school students are most likely to be attracted to and enjoy contemporary materials that deal with people and situations that are familiar to them.

Content & Application 10. A cause-and-effect organizational structure

would be most appropriate to use for an essay on which of the following topics?

A. definitions of race in the United States and Brazil

B. an insider's tour of the White House

C. greenhouse gases and global warming

D. the three stages of adolescent development

Language Arts



A. definitions of race in the United States and Brazil

B. an insider's tour of the White House



Language Arts





It would be logical to use a cause-and-effect organizational structure for an essay about greenhouse gases and global warming because it is widely believed that there is a causal relationship between them.

Content & Application Small metal cube A is placed

on top of the larger metal cube B as shown in the diagram above. Thermal energy will be transferred from cube A to cube B if cube A has a greater:

A. mass.B. thermal conductivity.C. specific heat.D. temperature.

Science



A. mass.B. thermal conductivity.C. specific heat.D. temperature.

Science



D. temperature.

Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of theparticles in a substance or material. When two substances are incontact, the substance with the greater temperature will transferthermal energy to the substance with a lower temperature until thetwo substances reach thermal equilibrium.

Data Focus / Reference Base

10. According to the theory of evolution, which of the

following processes leads to adaptive changes in the genetic makeup of a species over time?A. Genetic differences among individuals in a population make

some individuals more likely to survive and reproduce than others.

B. Physical changes in individuals that are caused by environmental conditions are passed on to their offspring through their genes.

C. Environmental changes produce mutations in the genes of individuals that help their offspring survive and reproduce.

D. Populations of individuals with relatively low mutation rates eventually replace populations that have unstable genetic material.

Science



following processes leads to adaptive changes in the genetic makeup of a species over time?A. Genetic differences among individuals in a population make

some individuals more likely to survive and reproduce than others.

B. Physical changes in individuals that are caused by environmental conditions are passed on to their offspring through their genes. NOT TRUE

C. Environmental changes produce mutations in the genes of individuals that help their offspring survive and reproduce.

NOT TRUED. Populations of individuals with relatively low mutation rates

eventually replace populations that have unstable genetic material.

Science



following processes leads to adaptive changes in the genetic makeup of a species over time?

A. Genetic differences among individuals in a population make some individuals more likely to survive and reproduce than others.

According to the theory of evolution, the genetic changes that occur in a particular species over many generations result from the reproductive success of some individuals in a population as compared with other individuals in the population. As time goes on, the genes that confer reproductive success will become more prevalent than the genes that do not confer a reproductive advantage.

Reverse Q’s, all except, not

6.Which of the following statements is true of hurricanes but not of tornadoes?

(A)They form only over warm oceans.

(B)They have very high winds.

(C)They may cause great property damage.

(D)They may cause human fatalities.



(A)They form only over warm oceans. ___

(B)They have very high winds. BOTH

(C)They may cause great property damage. BOTH

(D)They may cause human fatalities. BOTH



(A)They form only over warm oceans. ___

(B)They have very high winds. BOTH

(C)They may cause great property damage. BOTH

(D)They may cause human fatalities. BOTH

Reasoning 12. Use the national economic statistics below to

answer the question that follows.• The agricultural sector employs 1.3% of the

population.• The industrial sector employs 24.7% of the

population.• The service sector employs 74.0% of the population.

The statistics shown above best describe the economic structure of which of the following Asian nations?A. PakistanB. JapanC. North KoreaD. Malaysia

Social Studies

Reasoning 12. Use the national economic statistics below to

answer the question that follows.• The agricultural sector employs 1.3% of the

population.• The industrial sector employs 24.7% of the

population.• The service sector employs 74.0% of the population.

The statistics shown above best describe the economic structure of which of the following Asian nations?A. PakistanB. JapanC. North KoreaD. Malaysia

Like other highly developed economies, the Japanese economy has a large and growing service sector, a shrinking manufacturing sector, and a very small agricultural sector.

Social Studies

Representation

Mathematics

Representation

A. 0.03=3/100B. 0.06=6/100C.0.12=12/100D.0.15=15/100

Since there are 25 squares in the grid, the 3 shaded squares represent 3/25 of the total, and 3/25 = 12/100 = 0.12.

Mathematics

Reading/Interpreting Graphs

17. Which of the following graphic formatswould be the most effective way ofdisplaying the proportion of East Asia'spopulation that lives in China?

A. line graphB. tableC. pie chartD. pictograph

Social Studies




Social Studies




Pie charts are circular graphs in which each section of the circle represents a percentage of the whole. This graphic format provides a particularly good way of displaying part-to-whole relationships such as the proportion of East Asia's population that lives in China.

Reading/Interpreting Graphs 8.In how many of the years

shown were there more than twice as many students in medical schools as there were in 1950?(A)None(B)One(C)Two(D)Three


8.In how many of the years



8.In how many of the years


Scoring Constructed Response

Employ Strategies for Test Taking

Materials & SuppliesAdmission TicketDriver’s License (Photo ID)Additional ID (without photo OK)Sharp pencils (several)Bottled water is OK

Materials & Supplies

Do NOT bring into test siteCell phones Electronic devicesCalculatorsFood or drink ….BUT, bring & leave in car

(especially snacks)

Time ManagementPlan ahead Look ahead Pacing is criticalThink, then act (or write)Bring a watch (no alarms)Write down times

Time Management

Write down times, pace yourself

2 hours total time

90 minutes 30 min

Relax & Think

Sleep night before

Be prepared

Be confident

Practice stress

reduction techniques

Stress Management

Close eyes

Breathe

Visualize your calming place

Stress Management

Not too relaxed!

Keep Your Eye on the Goal

GACE -- MGE

Prepared & Successful

GACE -- MGE Teacher Certification KSU Workshop Fall 2007.

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