A Parent's Guide to South Carolina State Assessment.

1. 1
A
Parent’s Guide
to the
South Carolina Elementary
State Assessment System
for
2014-15
Orange Grove
Charter School
John H. Clendaniel, Principal

2. 2
What Tests Will My Child Take?
Students in Grades 3-5
will take the ACT Aspire
Assessment in Spring 2015
as part of the new South
Carolina Assessment System.
Students in Grades 4-5
will also take the
traditional SC PASS
Assessments for Science
and Social Studies.
SC
PASS

3. 3
What Does ACT Aspire Do?
3
 Measures student
growth towards college
and career readiness in
Grades 3-10; SC will be
using Grades 3-8 tests.
 Identifies early learning
gaps to help ALL
students graduate from
high school ready for
college and career
opportunities.

4. 4
What Subjects and Grades Are Assessed?
ACT Aspire Testing | Grades 3-5
Writing English Reading Math Science
Social
Studies Science
SC PASS Science and Social Studies Testing | Grades 4-5
SC
PASS
SC
PASS

5. 5
How Many Questions Are On the Tests?
 Depending on the grade level and subject area,
most assessments have between 30-60 items.
 All grade levels are required to write
an essay or story.
Science
and
SC
PASS
Social
Studies
SC
PASS
SC
PASS
WritingEnglish Reading Math
Writing

6. 6
What Types of Writing Are Required?
Grade 3 | Reflective Narrative (tell a story)
 Example: Write a story about a time you
did something new and different .
Grade 4 | Analytical Expository (explain something)
 Example: Write and essay to explain the
qualities of a good friend.
Grade 5 | Persuasive Argumentative (support an opinion)
 Example: Your principal wants to invite a special
guest to speak about the value of hard work and is
trying to decide between a scientist or and athlete.
Write an essay to support which speaker you think would be best
and why. Give details and examples to support your answer.

7. 7
How Long Are the ACT Aspire Tests?
 Note: Administration times begin after students have completed pre-test
gridding and verbal instructions have been given.
 If two or more tests will be administered in a single sitting, students will
be given 5-10 minutes between each test to collect completed materials
and go over verbal instructions for the next test.
7
Day Subject Test Length
Day 1
Writing 30 minutes
English 30 minutes
Day 2 Reading 60 minutes
Day 3 Mathematics 55 minutes
Day 4 Science 55 minutes

8. 8
What Is the Total Time of Testing?
8
ACT Aspire Testing
Grades 3, 4, and 5 3 hours, 50 minutes
Grades 6 and 7 4 hours
Grade 8 4 hours, 5 minutes
SC PASS Science and Social Studies Testing
Grades 4 and 5 These tests are not timed
Grades 6, 7, and 8 These tests are not timed

9. 9
What Will the Questions Look Like?
Constructed-Response Tasks
or Selected-Response Tasks

10. 10
Who Takes PASS Science/Social Studies?
4th and 5th Grade Students Take PASS SCI and SS
 Based on SC Science & Social Studies content standards
 These tests are not timed
 All questions are in multiple choice format
 Administered to ALL 4th and 5th Grade students
 Each test has 45 to 50 questions
 Administered after ACT Aspire (May 7 and 8)
What About 3rd Grade Students?
 3rd Grade students do not take SC PASS
for Science and Social Studies in Spring 2015.
SC
PASS

11. 11
When Will Students Be Tested?
Spring 2015 ACT Aspire Testing Window
Writing and English April 28 (Tuesday)
Reading April 29 (Wednesday)
Mathematics April 30 (Thursday)
Science May 1 (Friday)
Make-Up Testing May 4-8 and May 11-13
Spring 2015 4th and 5th Grade SC PASS Testing Window
Science May 7 (Thursday)
Social Studies May 8 (Friday)
Make-Up Testing May 11-15
SC
PASS

12. 12
Can I See ACT Aspire Sample Test Items?
http://actaspire.pearson.com/exemplars.html

13. 13
Can I See SC PASS Sample Test Items?
Science
http://ed.sc.gov/agency/
programs-services/45/
PASSScienceTests.cfm
Social Studies
http://ed.sc.gov/agency/
programs-services/45/
PASSSocialStudiesTests.cfm
SC
PASS
SC
PASS

14. 14
Are There Testing Accommodations?
http://actaspire.avocet.pearson.com/actaspire/home#4673
Students With Disabilities
 ACT Aspire has accommodations for students
with Individual Educational Plans (IEPs).
English Language Learning (ELL) Students
 The “First Year Exemption” for ELL students
applies to both SC PASS and ACT Aspire.
Where Can You Find More Information?
 Parents will receive specific information about testing
accommodations from the school, and can also use the
ACT Aspire Accessibility Guidebook on the ACT website:

15. 15
How Will the State Rate Our School?
State Testing Accountability for 2014-15:
 Parents and schools will receive assessment results
for each student, but scores will not be calculated into
ratings for schools and districts
until 2016-17.
 The state will then combine the
current state and federal
accountability systems into
one effective South Carolina
accountability system.

16. 16
What Can Parents Do?
The Night Before the Testing:
 Talk to your child about any concerns they may have.
 Your family should relax and enjoy the evening.
 Your child needs to go to bed on-time.
 Your child should not go to bed upset or angry.
 Your child should get a full night’s sleep

17. 17
What Can Parents Do?
The Morning of the Test:
 Start your day as you normally do.
 Your child should eat a healthy breakfast.
 Allow your child to wear their favorite comfortable clothing.
 Encourage your child to have a positive attitude and do
his/her best on the test.
 Be sure your child is at school and on-time
every day during testing.
 If your child wears glasses, please make
sure that he/she has them for testing.

18. 18
Questions
and Answers