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Students to take new PASS this week Richland One students in grades 3-8 will join their peers across the state in taking the new Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (PASS) this week. PASS is South Carolina’s new standardized testing program. It replaces the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Tests (PACT) that were administered for the last time in Spring 2008 after a 10-year run. PASS assessment actually made its debut with writing tests administered in mid-March. The writing test for each grade level included multiple-choice items and one extended-response item. The tests that get under way May 12 will have multiple-choice items only. All grade 3-8 students will take the English Language Arts (reading and research) tests on Tuesday, followed by mathematics on Wednesday, May 13. Students in grades 4 and 7 will have science testing on Thursday, May 14. Those in grades 3, 5, 6 and 8 will take either science or social studies tests that day ((with about half of the students in each of those grades taking each test). Social studies testing for grades 4 and 7 is scheduled for Friday, May 15. Scannable answer documents will be used for all PASS tests (all subjects and grade levels). For each PASS test, three overall performance levels will be reported:
PASS will be aligned to the state’s academic standards, with standard-setting taking place this summer. This will cause a one-time delay for the spring test results, which will not be available until the fall of 2009. Beginning in 2010, PASS results will be available by June 16 each year, according to the State Department of Education. PASS scores will be used for school and school district accountability purposes (report cards) beginning with the 2008-09 school year. The assessment results will also be used for federal accountability purposes (No Child Left Behind). Click here for PASS Test-Taking Strategies! For more information about PASS:
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