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What are the major changes in the testing

format?
1. Assessments for ACT Aspire are timed!
The following chart indicates how long
students will have for each test unless they
have an accommodation.
Day
1
2
3
4

Subject
Writing & English
Reading
Math
Science

Test Length
30 mins. each
60 minutes
55 minutes
55 minutes

2. The types of ACT Aspire writing assessments

for each grade level are as follows:

How has the South Carolina

assessment system changed?

In Spring 2015, South Carolina students in grades

3 through 8 will take the ACT Aspire assessments
for English Language Arts (ELA) and math. School
districts will determine which grades will take
science. All assessments will be administered in
paper/pencil format this spring, but a digital test
format is likely for ACT Aspire in Spring 2016.
SCPASS assessments will be given only to
students in grades 4 through 8 for science and
social studies.

ACT Aspire

The ACT Aspire has been chosen as the new state

assessment to determine student proficiency
levels in English Language Arts and math.
What standards are assessed?
For the 2014-15 school year, the current state
standards for English Language Arts and math will
be assessed using ACT Aspire.This will change
during the 2015-16 school year when new
S.C. State Standards are adopted.

Grades
3&6
4&7
5&8

Type of Writing
Reflective Narrative (write a story)
Analytical Expository (explain something)
Persuasive Argumentative
(support an opinion)

3. Types of Questions
Students will see mostly multiple-choice
and selected response questions, but
there will be a few questions called
constructed response where students will
need to write out their answers and
explanations.This will be different from
previous years since SCPASS tests only
used the multiple-choice format.

What is the Spring 2015 ACT Aspire

testing schedule for grades 3-8?
April 28 Writing and English
April 29 Reading
April 30 Math
May 1 Science (grade 3 only)
May 4-8 and May 11-13 Test make-up dates

South Carolina PASS

The Palmetto Assessment of State Standards

(SCPASS) will be used to determine student
proficiency levels in grades 4 through 8
science and social studies.
Are there any major changes in the
SCPASS science and social studies tests?
The SCPASS science and social studies tests have
not changed. However, both tests will be given to
all students in grades 4 through 8 this year.
Students in grade 3 will not take any SCPASS
assessments.
What is the Spring 2015 SCPASS testing
schedule for grades 4-8?
May 7 Science
May 8 Social Studies
May 11-15 Test make-up dates

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State Testing Accountability for the

2014-15 School Year
Parents and schools will receive assessment
results for each student, but scores will not be
calculated into ratings for schools and districts
until 2016-17.The state will then combine the
current state and federal accountability systems
into one effective S.C.Accountability System.
Accommodations for Students
with Disabilities
ACT Aspire does offer accommodations for
students with Individual Education Plans (IEPs).
Schools will be required to complete a
Personal Needs Profile based on each students
unique learning style. Parents will receive
specific information about testing
accommodations from the school. For more
information, see the Accessibility Guidebook at
the ACT website:
http://actaspire.avocet.pearson.com/actaspire/home.
Alternate Assessments
Students with significant cognitive disabilities
who are eligible for alternate assessments will
participate in the National Center and State
Collaborative (NCSC) alternate assessments
in English Language Arts and mathematics and
in the SC-Alt science and social studies
assessments.
Accommodations for English
Language Learning Students
The same First Year Exemption for English
Language Learners (ELLs) that applied to the
SCPASS writing and ELA tests will apply to the
ACT Aspire writing, English, and reading tests.
The Office of Federal and State Accountability is
determining the cut-off date for that exemption.
Other accommodations for ELL students will be
determined by the Office of Federal and State
Accountability and should be available to parents
prior to the assessment.

How should parents prepare students for

state testing?
The night before testing:
Talk to your child about any concerns
he or she may have about the test.
Enjoy the evening with your family.
Ensure that your child goes to bed on time
and gets a full nights sleep.
The morning of testing:
Begin your day as you normally would.
Provide your child with a healthy breakfast.
Allow your child to wear his/her favorite,
comfortable clothing, but make sure that
it adheres to the schools dress code.
Encourage your child to have a positive
attitude and do his/her best on the test.
Ensure your child is at school and on
time every day during testing.
Ensure your child brings prescription
glasses and takes prescriptive medications
each day during testing (if applicable).
For more information, contact
Dr. Harriet Jaworowski
Associate Superintendent
Department of Instruction and Accountability
Rock Hill Schools
660 N.Anderson Road
Rock Hill, SC 29730
(803) 981-1055 / hjaworow@rhmail.org
Additional information is available on the
S.C. Department of Education
website as well:
ed.sc.gov

Rock Hill
Rock Hill

Rock Hill
Parents Guide
to the
SC State
Assessment
System for
Grades 3-8
2014-15