Test Structure
Claims
Standards
Prep Strategies
100
On our standards, we call them "Clusters." But OSAS calls these alphabetical bullseyes by this name.
What are Targets?
100
Officially called "Concepts and Procedures," Laura wants you to remember Claim 1 as what very important question?
What is "CAN STUDENTS DO GRADE LEVEL MATH?"
100
Because these rectangular representations for the distributive property are specifically named in the standards for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade, they will most likely show up on the assessment.
What are area models for multiplication and division?
100
The OSAS Portal is home to this invaluable and unchanging sneak peek for students.
What is the Math CAT Practice Test?
200
Students must memorize a selection of these, as they will not be given in any part of a prompt in the CAT.
What are Formulas and Conversions?
200
These two Claims were combined for reporting purposes.
What are Claims 2 and 4? (Problem Solving and Modeling/Data Analysis)
200
The "passing level" for each cluster of standards can be found here.
What are the ALD Fact Sheets (or the Target Guide)?
200
Making sure your classroom is a balance of this will mirror what students are expected to do on the test.
What is Depth of Knowledge?
300
Because of the adaptability of the test, these questions are the most important.
What are the first handful of questions?
300
The Performance Task doesn't take any part of its score from this Claim.
What is Claim 1? (Concepts and Procedures).
300
Though the standards call for these to by known by memory at the end of Grade 3, there is no way to test that on the OSAS so as long as students have efficient and accurate methods they're good.
What are "all products from two one-digit numbers" OR "multiplication facts"?
300
Ready-to-print cards by grade level with the test's "construct relevant vocabulary" can be found here.
What is ccssmathactivities.com OR Laura's website OR maybe somewhere in the depths of the MCSD shared drives (but points only if you can find it)?
400
This bucket of 1-2-3-4 is a rating not of how difficult something is, but how much students have to think to solve the problem.
What is Depth of Knowledge?
400
This Claim is roughly 50% of a student's entire score.
What is Claim 1 OR Concepts and Procedures OR "Can Students Do Grade Level Math"?
400
On the standards, this domain does not contain any priority clusters for 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th grade...though it does support a few here and there.
What is GEOMETRY?
400
Research shows that providing a construct for students to talk to each other about their thinking is one of the most effective math teaching tools we can use. A partner strategy that Laura favors is called by this sweet sandwich name.
What are Peanut Butter and Jelly partners?
500
This bucket of 1-2-3-4 is the name for both the score and the difficulty level of each question.
What are Achievement Level Descriptors (or ALDs)?
500
The sum of all the Claim numbers is this.
What is 1+2+3+4 =10? And no, that has nothing to do with anything but Laura ran out of question ideas.
500
Though it's taught in most 4th and 5th grade classrooms, this infamous multi-step algorithm can't show up on the test until 6th grade so please make sure you're teaching other strategies, too.
What is long division?
Bonus answer: Just because a problem is written with a "long division house" doesn't mean it has to be solved using long division.
500
This prep tool is labeled by claims (and targets, for one of the claims) and features sample questions on one side with one possible solution path on the back.
