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Creating Conditions to Support Student Success on Provincial Assessments �Grade 8�April/May 2022

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�Goals:

In order to set HRCE students up for success on the provincial assessment(s), teachers:

review literacy and mathematics provincial assessment procedures, particularly in relation to the preparation for the assessment(s); including the completion of sample questions.

ensure a consistent plan is provided for all students prior to and during the administration of the assessments.

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Overview

Nova Scotia Assessments provide valid and reliable information about student performance relative to selected curriculum outcomes. The table below outlines upcoming the Nova Scotia Assessments administered to English program and French immersion program students in Nova Scotia.

Assessment	Participation	Administration	Link
Reading, Writing and Mathematics/Mathématiques in Grade 8 May 24-June 3, 2022 *Recommended not to administer these assessments on May 24th (day after long weekend)	Grade 8 English program students Grade 8 French immersion students (only mathématiques portion completed in French)	Day 1 and Day 2 of Reading and Writing/Literacy: students will have a total of 90 minutes (45 minutes for Reading and 45 minutes for Writing) with a stretch break (5–15 minutes at the teacher’s discretion) in between those sessions. There is also a 15 additional minutes at the end of each day to be used according to individual student choice. Day 1/Jour 1 and Day 2/Jour 2 of Mathematics/Mathématiques: students will have 60 minutes to complete the Mathematics/Mathématiques component each day with a stretch break of 5–15 minutes in the middle of the session. There is also a 15 additional minutes at the end of each day if needed. Foundational Outcomes: only outcomes that are identified as foundational in the Foundational Outcome documents (September 2021) and measurable on large scale assessments will be included on Nova Scotia Assessments.	All provincial information regarding these assessments can be found here: http://www.plans.ednet.ns.ca/grade8

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Strategies to Support Assessment Preparation

Sample Questions:

The purpose of the sample questions is to:

familiarize students with the types of questions they will find on the assessment

review question answering strategies

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Sample Questions: Provincial

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Sample Questions: Additional Mathematics from HRCE

Additional cumulative review resources have been developed by the Mathematics team for both English and French Immersion Program. These include: additional sample questions, digital breakout websites, desmos activities, scavenger hunts, quizziz activities, student self reflection, etc.

These resources can be found on the grade 8 mathematics page on the HRCE Teaching and Learning Site.

RWM8 Supports

*A reminder to teachers that the M8 Assessment only includes Foundational Outcomes and does not include content from unit 8 in the yearly plan (Geometry).

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Strategies to Support Assessment Preparation

Setting the Climate in the School:

Create a supportive schedule
Set up a supportive classroom environment
Ensure for minimal disruptions (i.e. no announcements)
Allow for a healthy start to the day

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Strategies to Support Assessment Preparation

General Tips for Throughout the Year and Days Leading Up:

Focus instruction on the overall content areas on the assessment (mathematics and literacy). Please note that the mathematics portion of the assessment will be on foundational outcomes only.

Have students practice filling out the assessment sample questions and reviewing the rubric provided from the EECD (guidelines are provided on how to share these with your students).

Throughout the sample questions teachers should feel comfortable demonstrating how to determine what is being asked in a question, how to read the text for information, how to check to make sure the chosen answer is the best answer.

Preparing students for an assessment will ensure the results are accurate.

We would not want the assessment procedures or how the assessment is administered to prevent students to show what they know.

So for these reasons we will take you through some things you can do with your students ahead of time to build their confidence and make them feel more comfortable with what they are being asked to do.

Bullet 1: Should be done well in advance. For example in writing we would expect that teachers would review what is expected in regards to this type of writing and what criteria will be measured (by sharing the rubric, samples, for example).

Bullet 2: The links provided in this ppt, as well as the practice questions that will be sent from the EECD, will allow for teachers to practice how to fill out the forms with students.

Bullet 3: Read slide

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Give students information about the assessment: why it is important to give their best effort, what will be asked, how the results will be used, when it will be, materials needed, who will be there when it is given, etc.

Discuss with students how to pace themselves when they are doing the assessment. For example: answer all the questions first and then go back to check if time permits.

Demonstrate how to make educated guesses by ruling out any choices known to be wrong and guessing among those that remain.

Reference: Stiggins, Arter, Chappuis and Chappuis.

General Tips for Throughout the Year and Days Leading Up:

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Strategies to Support Assessment Administration

Problem Solving Challenges

Challenges	Solutions
Spending too much time on questions or not finishing.	Teach students to skip difficult questions and come back later.
Experiencing excessive nervousness and anxiety.	Let students know what to expect, how to prepare, practice positive self-talk and most importantly, involve students in classroom assessment during instruction so they understand learning targets.
Not shading in bubbles (within questions) correctly.	Allow time to practice and become familiar with how to do this.
Exhibits disruptive behaviours or sharing answers with others.	Space students out, move classroom arrangement for the day of assessment.
Lacking confidence/perseverance on the assessment.	Build student confidence throughout the month by using assessment for learning strategies.
Ensuring all students, even those writing in an alternate location have access to classroom anchor charts	Have students create duplicate versions of key anchor charts to use in an alternate setting
A student is having difficulty reading a word or a question but does not have a read aloud adaptation	In the reading and writing portions of the assessment only individual words can be read to a student. On the Mathematics portion entire questions may be read if a student requests support.
Adapted from: Stiggins, Arter, Chappuis and Chappuis.

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Strategies to Support Assessment Preparation

Student Motivation and Performance:

The emphasis should be on fostering a classroom/school culture focused on student learning, curriculum expectations, student effort and perseverance.

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development has also compiled a list of suggestions gathered from classroom teachers and administrators that have been successful in motivating students to give their best effort on the provincial assessments found in their Creating the Conditions for Student Success document.

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Strategies to Support Students Throughout the Year

Grade 8: Lessons Learned

The Lessons Learned documents were developed based on an analysis of the item description reports for each administration of this assessment, and it specifically addresses areas that students across the province found challenging.

Lessons Learned documents for RW8 and M8 can be accessed through the PLANS website

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If you have any questions, please reach out to your Literacy / Mathematics Lead or your Supervisor.