"New state tests a response to NCLB mandate." June 5, 2005. NYSUT Guide to K-12 Education Standards 2005-2006. New York State United Teachers.


Guide to State and Federal Standards for Academic Year 2005-2006 An overview of where New York State stands in the move to higher standards and more rigorous tests. HOME \| STANDARDS \| Your Students \| Your Credentials \| Sample Tests \| Resources \| News Archive
Your Students New state tests a response to NCLB mandate Posted: June 5, 2005 Under the No Child Left Behind Act, states that receive federal funding for education are required to test all students in grades 3-8 in English Language Arts and math beginning in the 2005-06 school year. New York state, which received about $1.8 billion in federal education funds in the 2003-04 school year, has been testing students in these subject areas in grades 4 and 8 since 1999. The state has now created new tests, similar to the current tests, for the additional grade levels. All are supposed to be aligned with the New York state learning standards. Test results will determine if a school is making Adequate Yearly Progress under NCLB. Tests are scheduled to run from 70 minutes to two hours and 30 minutes, depending on the grade. Tests will be longer in grades 4, 6 and 8, and shorter in grades 3, 5 and 7. The new tests Each of the ELA tests will assess standards for reading, listening and writing. Each is made up of two or three sessions, depending on the grade level. In the writing section, students in grades 3, 5 and 7 complete an editing task that consists of a short paragraph containing errors in such areas as capitalization and punctuation. Students in grades 4, 6 and 8 answer two extended-response questions, one in reading and one in listening, that will be scored for writing as well as reading In the reading and listening sections students are exposed to passages representing a variety of genres. They must answer questions that demonstrate their understanding of the passages they have listened to or read. Also made up of two or three sessions, the math tests in grades 3-8 will assess the state's new mathematics standards (see article above). The math tests are composed of multiple-choice, short-response and extended-response questions. For short- and extended-response questions, students must write an answer to an open-ended question and must show their work. In some cases, they will be required to explain, in writing, how they arrived at their answers. For more information, see the sample questions in math and ELA.	Test sampler A taste of what students can expect in the latest tests - plus a downloadable version of the State Education Dept.'s complete test sampler.
The Guide to State and Federal Standards for Academic Year 2005-2006 was developed by New York Teacher in conjunction with the union's Division of Research and Educational Services. Articles are by John Strachan. Updated June 2005. For updates, read New York Teacher, or go to the Web site at www.nysut.org. Single copies are available while supplies last. Bulk order requests should be made through local union presidents. Write NYSUT Publications, 800 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham, N.Y. 12110-2455; e-mail jmalec@nysutmail.org; or call (800) 342-9810, ext. 6260. Ask for item No. 204/05 from the Publications Department. The complete guide is also available for download at nysut.org/standards. NYSUT, the largest union in New York State, represents more than 525,000 classroom teachers and other school employees and retirees; academic and professional faculty at the state's community colleges, State University of New York and City University of New York; and other education and health professionals. NYSUT is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO. NYSUT.org. Copyright New York State United Teachers. 800 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham, New York, 12110-2455. 518.213.6000.