Getting Ready for SRI
The
testing window for SRI and STAR Math is coming up on May 2 - 23.
To prepare for the test, Scholastic recommends that you
work with your students on strategies for test taking.
You could really do that any time, but it would be fresher on your
students' minds if you did it some time within two weeks before the test.
A PowerPoint template has been developed to help you construct sample
tests, and you may click
here if you would like to download a copy of the template. Also,
available at this site are tests which have already been created. Feel
free to use any of these tests with your students.
Using an
LCD projector or scan converter with a TV, you can show sample tests to your
whole class and discuss test taking strategies. The template includes specific instructions for plugging in
your own comprehension questions. Of
course, if you know someone else who has already developed questions, you could
use theirs. The template may only
be used with PowerPoint 2000. It
will not work with earlier versions of PowerPoint.
You can
also give group practice tests using Literacy First, if your school has that
program. Literacy First allows you
to develop your own test questions based on any book or reading passage you
choose, and the question format is similar to SRI's format.
Thanks to Penny Perkins and Tara Strunk from Athens for that idea.
Here are
some strategies that Scholastic suggests to review during a whole class practice
test using one of the methods above.
·
Look for
important ideas, and take mental notes as you read.
·
When you think
you've got the right answer, read the sentence, inserting the answer you choose.
Does the sentence make sense? Does
the meaning match the passage?
·
Use the process
of elimination to weed out answers that are obviously wrong.
·
If you encounter
vocabulary words that you don't know, look for context clues in the before and
after the word. Ask yourself
questions about what the passage is saying to determine the meaning of the word
or eliminate wrong answer choices. Sound
out the words if you need to.
·
Use your passes.
Just like "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", SRI gives you 3
lifelines. If you don't know an answer, you can pass on it.
But remember, you only get 3 passes.
Adapted
from: Scholastic Reading Inventory Educator's Guide, Scholastic, Inc.,
2000