L—Louisiana E—Education A—Assessment P—Program Testing Dates: March 19, 2014 Phase I (LEAP Only: Writing & Math Constructed Response) April 7-11, 2014.

WHAT EVERY PARENT

NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT

LEAP

THE WHO, WHAT, WHEN AND WHY OF HIGH-STAKES

TESTING

MARRERO ACADEMY L—Louisiana E—EducationA—Assessment P—Program

Testing Dates: March 19, 2014 Phase I (LEAP Only: Writing & Math

Constructed Response)April 7-11, 2014 Phase II (LEAP: Remaining Test Items and

iLEAP: All Test Items)

WHO IS TESTED? All Public School Students in Louisiana

LEAP 4th and 8th grade

WHAT IS TESTED?

The LEAP is made to assess what is taught in each subject within the grade level.

Although the test is an assessment of the new Common Core Standards, it is a transitional test, meant to bring us closer to the implementation of the PARCC Assessment.

GOAL

Our goal is to have every student at Marrero Academy do their best on the LEAP and iLEAP and achieve Mastery or Advanced in all four components of the test.

Our students should be a leap above the rest!!!

WHAT DO THE SCORES MEAN?

Advanced

Mastery

Basic

Approaching Basic

Unsatisfactory

Superior Performance

Competency over Challenging Subjects

Fundamentals Learned

Not Quite Up-to-Par

Not Ready for the Next Level of Schooling

LEAP SCALED SCORE RANGES

LEAP GRADE 4

ELA MATH SCIENCE SOC. ST.AchievementLevel

Scaled Score Range

% Scaled Score Range

% Scaled Score Range

% Scaled Score Range

%

Advanced 408-500 82 419-500 84 405-500 81 399-500

80

Mastery 354-407 71 370-418 74 360-404 72 353-398

71

Basic 301-353 60 315-369 63 306-359 61 301-352

60

Approaching Basic

263-300 53 282-314 56 263-305 53 272-300

54

Unsatisfactory 100-262 100-281 100-262 100-271

4TH GRADE

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

LEAP TEST PREP

WE WILL LOOK AT…… Structure of the test Test design Common Core ELA/Literacy standards to

be assessed

TEST STRUCTURE

Test Design Number of Points Testing time (suggested)

Writing (during Phase 1)

12 90 minutes

Reading and Responding

36 75 minutes

Research to Build Knowledge

9 40 minutes

Language 8 20 minutes

TOTALS 65 225 minutes

TEST DESIGN

WRITINGStudents will be asked to read one or two

passages and write a composition that includes evidence from the texts to support the writer’s ideas.

The writing prompt may direct students to write a story, develop an explanation or description, or convince someone of their position.

Responses will be scored on three dimensions: Content, Style and Conventions

Students will follow a content rubric or a style rubric or a conventions rubric when writing.

COMMON CORE VS. LEAP Writing will be grounded in textual

evidence. This kind of prompt demands more than

writing skills alone. Now students must read

texts carefully to determine what evidence is most relevant and then create an organized, well-written composition that incorporates that evidence.

SAMPLE 4TH GRADE WRITING PROMPTDirections: Read the passage about Moroccan markets. As you read the passage, think about an adventure someone could have finding an unusual treasure in a Moroccan market. Then use the passage to help you to write a well-organized story of at least three paragraphs.

Moroccan Market Morocco is a country in northern Africa bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. One of

the most interesting things about this country is its markets. What makes these markets so special? Let’s find out!

The markets can be any size, but most are very large, open-air markets. That means they are not in a mall or shopping center. They are outdoors where shoppers can feel the wind blowing and the sun shining. Sometimes birds fly into the market or animals walk in and “shop” among the people. Some big markets are made up of so many narrow streets that it feels like walking through a maze.

A Moroccan market has many surprises for shoppers. It is filled with interesting and unusual sights and sounds. Storytellers wander through the market entertaining people with delightful tales. Musicians play drums and sing African music. Acrobats delight the crowds with their tumbling and extraordinary balancing acts. Snake charmers play flutes to make their snakes dance, and trained monkeys perform for the shoppers!

There are many treasures to be found in a Moroccan market. Some people shop for old, mysterious lamps, beautiful locked boxes, or statues made of metal. Others look for unusual rugs, jewelry, or clothes. Some buy food and spices that can only be found in Morocco.

At a Moroccan market there are no price tags. Shoppers choose how much they want to pay for something through a process called bartering. If both the shop owner and shopper agree on a price, they will make the trade. This way both the shop owner and shopper are happy.

A Moroccan market is truly a special place. Shoppers never know what to expect at each turn in the maze of a Moroccan market. But one thing is certain: shoppers cannot but help to have an adventure they will remember.

SAMPLE OUTLINE OF MOROCCAN STORY

Students will be expected to write a well-organized story of at least 3 paragraphs. The story should include at least 4 facts from the article with details indicating that they have read the passage. __________________________________________________

Sample OutlineParagraph 1: Who, what, when, where, why in Morocco.Paragraph 2: Three things you do there

1. At market what happened (use details from pp 2 in article)2. Surprises (use details from ph 3 in article)3. Bartering (use details from ph 5 in article)

Paragraph 3: Lesson you learned from the visit.

SCORING 4TH AND 5TH GRADE (I)LEAP Grade 4 and 5 Writing Tests are untimed, but students should be given a minimum

of 75 minutes to read the passage(s), plan and write their compositions, and check their work.

Scoring InformationThe LEAP compositions are scored for Content and Style, but they also are scored for the conventions of writing: Sentence Formation, Usage, Mechanics, and Spelling.The Content dimension measures

*the focus of the student’s central idea; *the development of that idea, including the appropriate and accurate use of

information from the passage(s); and *the organization of the student’s ideas.

The Style dimension evaluates the ways in which the student shapes and controls the language and the flow of the composition. Features of Style include: *word choice; *sentence fluency, which includes sentence structure and sentence variety; and * voice, the individual personality of the writing.

For each of these two dimensions, a student can earn from 1 to 4 score points. In addition, the grade 4 compositions are rated as showing either “acceptable

control” or “unacceptable control” in the conventions: Sentence Formation, Usage, Mechanics, and Spelling. An acceptable rating earns 1 score point, while an unacceptable rating earns none.

SUMMARY OF 4TH AND 5TH GRADE SCORING

Dimensions Maximum Possible Points

Content 4

Style 4

Sentence Formation 1

Usage 1

Mechanics 1

Spelling 1

Total Points 12

WRITING RESOURCES Below are links to resources that offer additional information

about the transitional tests, the CCSS, and the PARCC assessments:

• www.doe.state.la.us/topics/assessment_guides.html(Assessment Guides for all subjects and grades tested)• www.louisianapass.org(transitional writing prompts on the Practice Assessment/Strengths Skills system)• www.doe.state.la.us/topics/common_core_samples.html(CCSS-aligned items)• www.parcconline.org/samples/item-task-prototypes(samples of PARCC assessment items)

READING AND RESPONDINGThe students will be asked to draw

inferences, determine key ideas of a text and identify supporting evidence, determine cause/effect relationships, identify comparisons and contrasts, and explain or describe aspects of a text.

Reading section will include: Several reading passages, literary and

informational texts Multiple-choice items that measure reading

comprehension Complex constructed-response items that ask

students to analyze one or two passage and use evidence from the texts in their written response.

RESEARCH TO BUILD KNOWLEDGE (formerly titled Informational Resources)Students will demonstrate knowledge in

accessing and interpreting information.Test items will measure research skills

that include categorizing information and providing a list of sources.

Language (formerly Proofreading Skills)Measures proofreading skills

Students will read a text that includes mistakes in skill areas determined by the Grade 4 language skills.

Students will answer multiple-choice questions that require choosing the best way to write each underlined part.

STANDARDS NOT ASSESSED AS THEY WERE IN THE PAST

The following are not directly measured:SpeakingListeningReading standards: Foundational skills

HOWEVER……they provide essential building blocks and practice for the standards that are measured

CHANGES YOU WILL SEE IN THE ASSESSMENT OVER TIME Louisiana may be transitioning to the PARCC for

2014-15. All answers in the Multiple Choice questions no

longer have answers that are obviously wrong, therefore, allowing the student to easily eliminate those choices. Student will be required to use reasoning skills before choosing a correct answer.

The LEAP will be more rigorous in 2013-14. Students will be required to not only answer questions on a constructed response, but, they will also be required to give supporting evidence for their answer.

A FEW EXAMPLES:LAST YEAR…… Sample questions showing changes:

(based on story reading a passage from “Sarah, Plain and Tall”)2012-13

Question:“List two things that Sarah will no longer see around her when she comes to live on a prairie farm.”

Response: the sea and small house

THIS YEAR! 2013-14

Sample question(based upon the same passage) Question:“What gift did Sarah send Anna and why was it special?”

Response:Sarah sent Anna a book about sea birds. It is something that is special to Sarah because she loves the sea and wants to share what is important to her with Anna.

LAST YEAR PASSAGE ABOUT LOUIS ARMSTRONG

The life story of Louis Armstrong is an example of someone who

A. became famous because he was so wealthy. B. never escaped from his life of poverty. C. could not get a good education because he was poor. D. overcame a difficult childhood and became a famous musician.

When Louis Armstrong was a young teenager, he had to go to reform school because A. he wanted to get a good education. B. he wanted to learn how to play the trumpet. C. he had gotten into trouble. D. it was a good place to join a band.

THIS YEAR…..STUDENTS READ PASSAGE ABOUT ARCHAEOLOGISTS The following question has two parts.

Answer part A and then answer part B. Part A: According to Article 1, what do

archaeologists study in addition to people who lived long ago?

A. The reasons an area became full of debris long ago

B. The general conditions in an area long ago

C. The governments of the people long ago D. The ways people worked together long

ago

Part B: Which detail from Article 1 best supports the answer to Part A? A. “It's not that the ground has really sunk; it's more that more layers have been added on top.” B. “And the more they find, the more they understand.”

C. “For instance, by discovering seeds, archaeologists can also discover what kinds of crops the people who lived there grew or, if people didn't live there at all, what kind of wild plants or fruits or vegetables grew there.” D. “Also, a dig might turn up fragments of clothing or shoes, giving archaeologists clues to what kind of clothing the people who lived there wore.”

4TH GRADEMathematics LEAP Test Prep

LEAP MATHEMATICS The Math test consists of two multiple

choice sections (one with calculator usage and one without) and three constructed response items.

The constructed response portion of the test will be given during Phase 1 in March. The multiple choice sections will be completed during Phase 2 in April.

A student earns 1 point for each correct answer to the multiple choice questions and 0-4 points for the work shown on each constructed-response item.

Please stress to your children to show all their work and to check over each problem in the Math section. Careless mistakes can really hurt you in these sections.

LEAP MATHEMATICSStructure of the Test:

Subject Description

Number of Items

Number of Points

Estimated Testing Times

Constructed Response, Calculator

3 12 45 Minutes

Multiple Choice, No Calculator

36 36 80 Minutes

Multiple Choice,

Calculator

24 24 50 Minutes

Total 63 72 175 Minutes

LEAP MATHEMATICSReporting Categories:

Reporting Categories Percentage

Geometry 10%

Measurement and Data 15%

Number and Operations in Base Ten

25%

Number and Operations – Fractions

30%

Operations and Algebraic Thinking

20%

WHAT IS NEW THIS YEAR IN MATH? Most questions will require students to complete

multiple steps in order to solve the problem. The traditional “key words” are no longer being

used as a way for students to know what to do to solve the problem. Questions focus more on requiring students to use common sense and comprehension strategies to figure out what to do.

For multiple choice items, there are no longer any obviously wrong answers. Gone are the days of using “Process of Elimination”. Answer choices are viable and require students to use more reasoning skills before choosing a correct answer.

LET’S LOOK AT SOME EXAMPLE

PROBLEMS….

VIABLE ANSWERSMia’s favorite sports team has won 0.42 of its games this season. How can Mia express this decimal as a fraction?

a. 4/20b. 42/100c. 4/2d. 42/10

MULTIPLE STEPS AND VIABLE ANSWERS

Mary Beth has a bag of 3 different types of candies. The fractions of two types of candies in the bag are listed below. Candies that have nuts:59/100 Candies that have caramel: 2/10

The rest of the candies in the bag have chocolate. What fraction of the candies in Mary Beth’s bag have either nuts or caramel?

a. 61/110b. 61/100c. 79/110d. 79/100

NO KEY WORDSLily is going to give away all the pieces of candy in a bag. She can give an equal number of pieces of candy to 5, 3, or, 2 people. Which number of pieces of candy could be in Lily’s bag?

a. 12b. 20c. 30d. 45

4TH GRADE

SCIENCE LEAP TEST PREP

THIS YEAR COMPARED TO LAST YEAR

2013-2014 grade 4 LEAP continues to assess Louisiana’s science benchmarks.

The design of the multiple-choice and short answer sessions of the test remains the same as it was in 2012-2013.

This year, the LEAP contains a task aligned to the Common Core Standards for English language arts and science benchmarks.

5 SCIENCE STRANDS OF CONTENT Science as Inquiry Physical Science Life Science Earth and Space Science Science and the Environment

TEST STRUCTURE

Test Sessions

Number of Items

Number of Points

Suggested testing

time

Session 1: Multiple Choice

40 40 60 minutes

Session 2: Short answer

4 8 30 minutes

Session 3: Task

4 multiple choice

1 extended response

8(Multiple

choice =1 pt. each,

extended response=4

pts.)

30 minutes

TEST SPECIFICSStrand/Category # of

Points MC# of Point CR % of Points

Science as Inquiry

8 0 16

A. Questioning, Planning, Doing and Recording

B. Interpreting and communicating

Physical Science 8 2 21

A. Properties of Objects and materials

B. Position and Motion of Objects

C. Forms of Energy

TEST SPECIFICS

Strand/Category

# of Points MC

# of Points CR

% of Points

Life Science 8 2 21

A. Characteristics of organisms

B. Life Cycles of organisms

C. Organisms and their environment

TEST SPECIFICS

Strand/Category

# of Points MC

# of Points Cr

% of Points

Earth and Space

Science

8 2 21

A. Properties of Earth materials

B. Objects in the Sky

Science and the

Environment

8 2 21

TOTAL 40 8 100

TEST EXAMPLES

An ocean, a forest, and a grassy meadoware each examples of a completeecosystem. Complete ecosystems containonlyA. animals.B. rocks and water.* C. living and nonliving things.D. populations of plants and animals.

PHYSICAL SCIENCE

Science as Inquiry

EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE

4TH GRADESocial Studies LEAP Test Prep

SOCIAL STUDIES The Social Studies portion is untimed. The Social studies portion of the LEAP

consists of four sessions: Two multiple choice sessions, one constructed response session, and one session involving a task.

The last session involves a task, where students will be asked to use resources to answer questions and complete a writing assignment.

SOCIAL STUDIESTest Structure

Test Sessions Number of Items

Number of Points

Suggested Testing Time

Session 1: Multiple Choice

25 25 40 Minutes

Session 2: Multiple Choice

25 25 40 Minutes

Session 3: Constructed

Response

2 8 30 Minutes

Task 5 8 40 minutes

SOCIAL STUDIESStrands/Categories

Items % of Total Points

GEOGRAPHY 18 36%

CIVICS 10 20%

ECONOMICS 7 14%

HISTORY 15 30%

Total 50 100%

SOCIAL STUDIES MULTIPLE CHOICE Each multiple choice section has 25

questions, all worth 1 point each. Questions may use charts, graphs,

maps, illustrations, and/or political cartoons.

SOCIAL STUDIES CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE The constructed response session

consists of two questions, both worth 4 points each.

Questions may use charts, graphs, maps, illustrations, and/or political cartoons.

WHAT IS NEW IN SOCIAL STUDIES THIS YEAR?

Social Studies Task…….

The task may assess benchmarks from any of the four strands. The task reflects the rigor of Common Core and applies ELA

standards for reading informational text and writing to a Social Studies context.

The task consists of four multiple-choice items and one extended response item. The items are based on three or four authentic stimulus materials, which are referred to as “documents” in the task.

The extended response portion of the task requires students to provide a written response that illustrates how well they can synthesize Social studies content knowledge with evidence from the documents provided.

The session consists of 4 multiple choice questions (all worth 1 point) and 1 extended response question that is worth 4 points.

OTHER TESTING INFORMATIONTips, Reminders, Practice Info

HANG IN THERE!

We are working very hard to make sure your children are being taught what they need to know for the upcoming standardized tests. It is imperative that they study. We know this year is fast paced, but we have to cover a lot of material before the test.

TEST TAKING TIPS Reassure your child. Make sure your child gets a good night’s

sleep. Make sure your child eats something

nutritious for breakfast. Try to make each morning of testing a

pleasant one for your child. Make sure that your child arrives at school

ON TIME each morning of testing week. Remind your child to listen carefully to test

instructions and to read directions for each question with care.

TEST TAKING TIPS CONTINUED..

Tell your child to attempt to answer ALL questions. There is no penalty for guessing.

Remind your child that the test is important.

Explain the importance of using his or her time wisely.

Encourage your child to stay focused on the test, even if others finish early.

Remind your child that it is perfectly acceptable to mark in the test booklets or underline key words, but all answers must be correctly marked on the answer sheet.

Remind your child to write neatly and follow directions on all Written Response Questions.

TESTING REMINDERS Attendance and promptness during

testing is very important. Do not leave anything BLANK! Try

every problem. Preparation for the test happens each

and every day. Pay attention in class! Read each passage carefully. Do not

let the length of the passage discourage you.

Relax, Read the directions carefully, and Rejoice!!

ADDITIONAL PRACTICELEAP Released Sample Items:

www.louisianabelieves.com Louisiana PASS System

www.louisianapass.org

KidBiz 3000www.kidbiz3000.com

First in Mathwww.firstinmath.com

Parent Resourceswww.parenttoolkit.com