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Letter
Regarding Standardized ELA Test April
3, 2013
Dear
Parents,
On Tuesday
April 16-Thursday April 18, all NYC public school students will be taking the Common Core
English Language Arts Test. From now until then, I will be familiarizing the students with the
exam and giving them strategies to help them succeed confidently. Since the
beginning of the year, I have been immersing them in close readings, writing
with sources, and developing and proving claims in writing, three of the most
important skills assessed on the test.
To help
prepare, students should:
·
Read
regularly – novels, memoirs, newspapers, magazines, etc. – for at least 40 a
day; this will help build their stamina for the test
·
Complete
practice test homework when they receive it
·
Put
110% effort in the preparation for and completion of this exam
On the
days of the test, students should:
·
get
plenty of rest and eat healthy breakfasts
·
bring
sharpened #2 pencils with erasers
·
bring
non-glass bottles of water and their own tissues or anything else they may
need; students are not to get out of their seats unless it is an absolute, dire
emergency
·
NOT
bring to school any cellular phones or any other electronic devices that can be
connected to the Internet; this is a new citywide policy and will be strictly
enforced – electronics will be confiscated.
Links for
parents regarding the Common Core Language Standards + information on the test:
- Educator’s guide and overview
of the test: http://engageny.org/sites/default/files/resource/attachments/grade-8-ela-guide_0.pdf
- General information on the
CCLS: http://schools.nyc.gov/Academics/CommonCoreLibrary/ForFamilies/UnderstandingCC/default.htm
If you
have issues about the test and want to have your voices heard, contact:
- Local Councilmember Brad
Lander at: http://bradlander.com/contact
- ParentVoicesNY at: http://www.parentvoicesny.org/?page_id=400
Lastly,
the ELA teachers at our school and in all schools throughout the city will be
taken out of the classroom for 5 days in May in order to grade this exam. This
will create a disruption in learning though I will be leaving
curriculum-relevant work for the students to do in my absence. Please remind
students that it is important that they behave with utmost maturity and respect
with whomever will be substituting for me and that they will be responsible to
thoughtfully complete all their work.
Thank you
for cooperation. If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact me at denise.galang@gmail.com or Ms. Berner
at lberner2@schools.nyc.gov.
Sincerely,
Denise
Galang
2013 GRADE 8 COMMON CORE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE ARTS TEST
April 16-18
|
Passages
|
Multiple choice
|
Short response
|
Extended response
|
Time
|
Day 1: Book 1
|
6
|
42
|
90 min + 10 min prep
|
||
Day 2: Book 2
|
3
|
21
|
90 min + 10 min prep total
|
||
Day 2: Book 3
|
2
|
3
|
1
|
||
Day 3: Book 4
|
4
|
5
|
1
|
90 min + 10 min prep
|
|
General:
|
3-8 Literary Passages
6-11 Informational Passages
|
2 pts each, total 16
|
4 pts each,
total 8
|
For this
year’s test, many changes have been made to align the test to the Common Core
Learning Standards (CCLS). According to the test guide, the new test will have
“an intense focus on complex, grade-appropriate nonfiction and fiction texts
that require rigorous textual analysis, the application of academic language,
and other key college and career readiness skills.”
Focus
|
Important Vocabulary
|
|
|
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