The document provides information about standardized testing for students at Glenoaks Elementary. It discusses the STAR program, which includes the California Standards Tests (CST), California Modified Assessment (CMA), and California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA). It notes that the CST is taken by students in grades 2 through 11 to measure performance against state standards. Sample test questions are provided for grades 4 and 5 in English language arts and science. Testing dates at Glenoaks for spring 2013 are listed, along with estimated section times.

1. March 26, 2013
Glenoaks Elementary

2. What is the STAR?
 STAR – Standardized Testing and Reporting Program which
includes CST, CMA, & CAPA
Who takes the CST?
 Every student in grades 2 through 11, across the state
What is the purpose of the CST?
 Measure performance (ex: student, grade level, school,
district)
 Demonstrate individual growth within a school year
 Demonstrate mastery of grade level standards

3. • CMA is for students in grades 3, 4, & 5 who:
--have an IEP plan;
--scored Below Basic/Far Below Basic
on a previous CST
--are not eligible to take the CAPA
• CAPA is for students with significant disabilities
What are the CMA &
CAPA?

4. What are the California Advanced
State Standards?
 Defining the knowledge, concepts,
and skills that students should
Proficient
acquire in each content area at
each grade level.
How is student’s
Basic
performance on the test
measured? Below Basic
 Scale score ranges of performance
 Different for each grade level,
content area and test year
Far Below
Basic

5.  Measures the academic performance and growth of
schools on a variety of measures.
 API shows how much a school is improving from year
to year.
 A school’s API is a number that ranges from 200 to
1000 and is calculated from the results for each
school’s students on state-wide tests.
Academic
Performance Index

6. Academic Performance Index Trend
Analysis
6
Created by Dr. Marine Avagyan

8. What does the CST look like?
Sample test questions released by CDE
Fourth Grade:
Timothy has outgrown his bicycle and wants to sell it through the local newspaper.
In which section should he look to find examples of what he needs to write in order
to sell his bike?
a. Local News
b. Classified Ads
c. Entertainment
d. Letters to the Editor

9. The word inspected contains the Latin root spect. What
does spect mean?
a.Use
b.Look
c.Take
d.Need 9
Created by Dr. Marine Avagyan

10. Anna bought 3 bags of red gumballs and 5 bags of white
gumballs. Each bag of gumballs had 7 pieces in it. Which
expression could Anna use to find the total number of
gumballs she bought?
a.(7x5)+3=
b.7x(5+3)=
c.(7x3)+5=
d.7+(5x3)=
10
Created by Dr. Marine Avagyan

11. What does the CST look like?
Sample test questions released
5th Grade Science Test
Which of the following is a property of CO2 gas?
a. It feels like a rock
b. It smells like a lemon
c. It is colorless
d. It is hard

12. Which best describes a parallel circuit?
a.Electricity flows along one pathway
b.The flow of electricity comes from one source
c.Electricity flows along more than one pathway
d.The flow of electricity comes from more than one
source
12
Created by Dr. Marine Avagyan

13. Group Activity
At each table you will find directions for the activity
with:
Questions your group must answer
Practice tests
Work as a team to answer the questions and be
prepared to share.
13

14. Discussion Question
What skills are being tested?
What skills does a student need to have to be successful
on this test?
What kind of practice does a student need to prepare for
this?
How successful were YOU in taking this test?
How successful do you think your child would be if he/she
were to take this test?
14

15. “You don’t start preparing for a test a
couple of days before. You begin when
you walk into the classroom that
very first day… Everything you do in a
course – attending class, listening
carefully, taking good notes, doing
homework and assigned readings –
helps you study for tests.”
Ron Fry
15

16. Preparing for Testing
Teacher:
•Focus on teaching the CA State Content Standards
•Teach, assess, intervene, reteach
•Communicate regularly with families regarding concerns
•Notify students of the test dates in advance
•Teach test-taking skills and strategies
16

17. Preparing for Testing
Parent:
•Make sure your child
~attends school daily ~is on time daily ~is well rested
•Note test dates on your calendar, schedule appointments on
non-testing dates
•Help your child learn how to find information independently
•Encourage your child to ask questions at home and in class
•Know your child’s teacher and conference with him/her on a
regular basis for progress reports
17

18. Preparing for Testing
Student:
•Get good night’s rest and eat a normal breakfast before testing
•Use the bathroom before going to class
•Follow directions and listen closely to any instructions
•Always read the directions twice
•Always double check your work
•Relax
•Budget your time
•Don’t worry about how fast other people finish their test;
concentrate on your own test
•When you are finished, go back and check!!! 18

19. “Jail” the Detail!
• Highlight, underline, Mr. Detail
or circle the details in
the questions. This
helps you focus on
exactly what the
question is asking you
to do.

20. “I think the
answer is …”
Be Slick and
• Predict what the!
answer is
BEFORE you read
the choices.

21. Plug it in, Plug it in!
• Once you have chosen
your answer, plug it in
and make sure that it
makes sense! (this works
really well with
vocabulary questions).

22. Keep On Keeping On!
• If you get to a
couple of questions
that you just don’t
know, don’t give
up! Keep trying
your best!

23. If you SNOOZE, You will LOSE!
• Don’t leave a
question
unanswered. You
will not have ANY
chance of getting it
right.

24. “UNPACK” the Question!
Underline key words
Number the parts of the ?
Plan how you will answer
Answer using specific details
Check off each part as you do it
Keep up the great work

25. Be Smart With Charts, Recipes,
Menus, Emails & Zap the Maps!
• Charts, recipes, menus,
emails, and maps
provide information
that you can use to
answer questions!
Analyze ALL
information provided
before answering the
questions!

26. Extra! Extra! Read All About It!
If the directions say
read…. READ! Pay
close attention to
signal words in the
directions, such as
explain, interpret, and
compare.

27. Be a Whiz…with the Grid!
• Beware! If the
answer is not
bubbled in exactly
right… YIKES! It
will be wrong!

28. Check It Out!
When you have
completed the
test, go back
and check your
work!

29. Quick Tips for Multiple Choice Tests
Read the question before you look at the answer
Come up with the answer before looking at possible answers
Read the whole question. Don’t skip over words.
Look at the pictures. They might have a clue.
Eliminate answers you know aren’t right
Read all the choices before choosing your answer
If you are really stuck, make an educated guess and select an
answer
Be neat and fill in all bubbles completely
29

30. Glenoaks Resource
http://glenoakssuperstar.edublogs.or
g/
CST Preparation

31. APRIL 22 – MAY 3, 2013
Grades 2 & 3
English Language Arts (3 sections)
Math (3 sections)
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Grade 4 & 6 Grade 4
English Language Arts (2 sections) Writing Task (one section)
Math (2 sections)
Grade 5
English Language Arts (2 sections)
Math (2 sections)
Science (2 sections)
Testing at Glenoaks

32. Grade 2 & 3
50 minutes each section
Grades 4, 5, 6 Grade 4
ELA—85 minutes Writing Task—60 minutes
Math—75 minutes
Grade 5
Science—70 minutes
Estimated Time