1. Best Practices ISAT
Preparation
January 2012
How Can Teachers Best Prepare Their
Students to Take the Test?

2. PD Agenda
1. Revisit ISAT Extended Response PD
2. Review general ISAT information
3. Go Over ISAT Resource Packets:
1.Vocabulary Keys – ISAT Specific
2.ISAT Item Analysis
3.ISAT Curriculum Resources
4.ISAT NWEA Comparison

3. October ISAT PD Follow‐up
• Extended response is considered one of the most challenging
portions of the ISAT test.
• Some of the strategies suggested in October presentation were
basic yet effective everyday reading strategies:
– Tell me more about your thinking”
– “What in the story made you think that”
– “Where did you find this in the text”
– “The main character feels _____ because___”
– “The problem is____ because_______”
– Stop and say something (to the person next to you, group)
– Short write
(write what you’re thinking)
– Questioning (students write down 1‐2 questions they have)
• How has extended response practice going in your classrooms?
• Are there any great ideas, suggestions, and/or anything not
working for you in the classroom you would like to share?

4. 2012 ISAT Reminders
•ISAT 2012 – March 5 – March 16
•ISAT Writing has been suspended, but students will still
respond in writing to the Extended Response reading and
mathematics items.
•Grades 3‐8 will test in Reading and Math
•Grades 4 and 7 will also test in Science
•All items for 2012 align to the Illinois Assessment
Frameworks
•Stanford 10 format with color ‐ SAT 10
•10 additional minutes for all students still working at the
end of the 45 minutes testing session

5. NCLB and ISAT
• All states must assess Mathematics and
Reading in grades 3 through 8
• Only Mathematics and Reading are used for
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) calculations
• Annual Targets for Performance and
Participation

7. Vocabulary Keys
Resource Packet #1:
• 3rd – 8th ‐ Math, Reading, and Science terms
that are important for students to know and
understand on the ISAT Assessment.

8. Be armed with what is on the test!
ISAT Item Analysis
Resource Packet #2:
1. 2011 ISAT Reading, Math, and Science Item
Counts by grade level and standards
2. 2011 ISAT Reading, Math, and Science
Standards and estimated percent of test
exposure

9. Teaching Priorities, Strategies, and
Worksheets
Resource Packet #3:
• Make Math Verbal and Visual
• Guide and Assess Fiction Reading
• Non‐Fiction Reading

10. ISAT and NWEA Comparison
Resource #4: NWEA ISAT Alignment Study
• Tables 3 and 4 show the best estimate of the
RIT equivalent to each Illinois performance
level – same season or prior season
• Tables 7 and 8 show proportion of students
achieving various RIT score ranges whom are
estimated to achieve a proficient score on
the ISAT.

11. Questions and Contributions

12. References
http://www.isbe.net/assessment/pdfs/2010/ISAT_
http://teacher.depaul.edu/
http://www.ed.gov/
http://www.nwea.org/
http://metacat2.com/iltestlinks.html
This is the interactive test question
website.