Schedule/Supplies
Which test are we taking for 3 days?
ELA
How many sections are on the ELA PSSA?
3 sections
On which paper do your answers need to go?
Answer booklet (NOT in the test booklet)
What can you do if you finish your ELA test early?
Put your head down or read a book.
What PSSA subject test do 8th graders take but 7th graders do not?
Science
Which test are we taking the following week that lasts for 2 days?
Math
How many TDA essays will you write in total during the ELA PSSA?
2
On which paper should you cross out answers, annotate or use a question mark for question you want to come back to?
Test booklet (NOT Answer booklet)
What is the difference between main idea and theme?
Main idea is what the text is mostly about
Theme is the lesson or moral of the story
How many pages do you have to write a TDA essay?
3 pages to write
Who is proctoring the ELA test for your section?
What are two reasons you could get a "no score" on your TDA?
Blank, refusal, non-scoreable, off-topic, copied
What is the name of the strategy where you cross out two answers you know are incorrect and choose from the remaining two?
Process of Elimination
What time does the PSSA end for the day?
12pm
What does EBSR stand for?
Evidence-based Selected Response
True or false: A teacher can read you all the grammar questions- just raise your hand.
TRUE
How much of the overall score is the TDA worth?
25% or 1/4
Give a TDA strategy
Annotate & highlight the passage
Use TAGS with a T for your introduction
Read the prompt before you read the passage so you set a purpose for reading
Ask a teacher to read the prompt to you
Re-read your work
Use the PSSA checklist
What is an example of a text feature?
Heading, subheading, graph, bolded words
What happens if you are found with your cell phone or smart watch during the test?
In school suspension and it goes on your record!
What should you do with your phone each morning?
Turn it OFF and put it in the bin
Which days will you have to answer multiple choice questions during the test?
all days
Where do you look for the answers to the multiple choice questions in the Reading section of the test?
In the passage or text
What happens if you need more time to finish that day's test section?
Ask for extended time. You will go to another room to continue the test. You will get to each lunch after you finish the test if your lunch period has passed.
Explain means you say what the quote means
Analyze means you say why the quote matters and how it connects to the prompt