Reading Grade 4

1 OKLAHOMA SCHOOL TESTING PROGRAM OKLAHOMA CORE CURRICULUM TESTS TEST AND ITEM SPECIFICATIONS Reading Grade 4 2013 2014 Edition Revised Oklahoma State Department of Education Oklahoma City, Oklahoma August 2013 Grade 4 Reading Test and Item Specifications Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests (OCCT) i OKLAHOMA CORE CURRICULUM TESTS TEST AND ITEM SPECIFICATIONS Table of Contents Purpose .. 1 Test Structure, Format, and Scoring .. 2 Test Alignment with Oklahoma Academic Standards .. 2 Test Blueprint .. 3 Depth of Knowledge Assessed by Test Items .. 4 Universal Test Design Considerations .. 5 Testing Schedules .. 6 Multiple-Choice Item Guidelines .. 6 Stimulus Materials .. 7 General Considerations .. 7 Considerations for Reading .. 9 Readability .. 10 Vocabulary .. 10 Overview of Item Specifications .. 11 Reading Passages .. 16 Sample Test Items by Standard .. 24 Grade 4 Reading Test and Item Specifications Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests (OCCT) 1 Purpose The purpose of the Grade 4 Reading Test is to measure Oklahoma students level of proficiency.

2 On this test, students are required to respond to a variety of items linked to the fourth- Grade Reading content standards identified in the Oklahoma Academic Standards. Each Reading Test form assesses each identified content standard and objective listed below. The following standards and objectives are intended to summarize the knowledge as identified in the Oklahoma Academic Standards. Developed and published under contract with the Oklahoma State Department of Education by CTB/McGraw-Hill LLC, 20 Ryan Ranch Road, Monterey, California 93940-5703. Copyright 2013 by the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Only State of Oklahoma educators and citizens may copy, download and/or print the document, located online at Any other use or reproduction of this document, in whole or in part, requires written permission of the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the publisher. Oklahoma Academic Standards Content Standards and Objectives Vocabulary Words in Context ( ) Affixes, Roots and Derivatives ( ) Synonyms, Antonyms, and Homonyms/Homophones ( ) Comprehension/Critical Literacy Literal Understanding ( ) Inferences and Interpretation ( ) Summary and Generalization ( ) Analysis and Evaluation ( ) Literature Literary Elements ( ) Figurative Language and Sound Devices ( ) Research and Information Accessing Information ( ) Copyright 2013 by the Oklahoma State Department of Education Grade 4 Reading Test and Item Specifications Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests (OCCT) 2 Test Structure, Format, and Scoring The Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests consist of multiple-choice items.

3 Each multiple-choice item is scored as correct or incorrect. The student s raw score is converted to a scaled score using the number correct method. Of the total items, 10 items are field-test items and do not contribute to the student s scaled score. Content Assessment Total Items Total Operational Items Total Field Test Items Mathematics 50 50 Reading 50 50 Test Alignment with Oklahoma Academic Standards Criteria for Aligning the Test with the Oklahoma Academic Standards Content Standards and Objectives 1. Categorical Concurrence The test is constructed so that there are at least six items measuring each of the OAS standards. The number of items is based on estimating the number of items that could produce a reasonably reliable estimate of a student s mastery of the content measured. 2. Depth of Knowledge Consistency The test is constructed using items from a variety of Depth of Knowledge levels that are consistent with the processes students need in order to demonstrate proficiency for each OAS objective.

4 3. Range of Knowledge Correspondence The test is constructed so that at least 75% of the objectives for each of the OAS standards have at least one corresponding assessment item. 4. Balance of Representation The test is constructed according to the Test Blueprint, which reflects the degree of representation given on the test to each OAS standard and/or OAS objective in terms of the percent of total test items measuring each standard and the number of test items measuring each standard and/or objective. The test construction shall yield a balance of representation with an index of or higher of assessed objectives related to a standard. 5. Source of Challenge Each test item is constructed in such a way that the major cognitive demand comes directly from the targeted OAS objective or OAS concept being assessed, not from specialized knowledge or cultural background of the test taker. Grade 4 Reading Test and Item Specifications Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests (OCCT) 3 Test Blueprint Oklahoma School Testing Program Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests Grade 4 Reading Test Blueprint School Year 2013 2014 The Test Blueprint reflects the degree to which each standard and objective of the Oklahoma Academic Standards is represented on the test.

5 The overall distribution of operational items in a test form is intended to look as follows: Standards and Objectives Ideal Number of Items Ideal Percentage of Items Vocabulary 12 24% Words in Context 4 Affixes, Roots, and Stems 4 Synonyms, Antonyms, and Homonyms 4 Comprehension/Critical Literacy 23 46% Literal Understanding 4 Inferences and Interpretation 6 Summary and Generalization 7 Analysis and Evaluation 6 Literature 9 18% Literary Elements 5 Figurative Language/Sound Devices 4 Research and Information 6 12% Accessing Information 6 Total Test 50 100% A minimum of 4 items is required to report results for an objective, and a minimum of 6 items is required to report a standard. Percentages are approximations and may result in a sum other than 100 due to rounding. The Oklahoma Academic Standards correspond to the PASS standards.

6 Copyright 2013 by the Oklahoma State Department of Education Grade 4 Reading Test and Item Specifications Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests (OCCT) 4 Depth of Knowledge Assessed by Test Items The Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests will, as closely as possible, reflect the following Depth of Knowledge distribution of items. Grades 3 5 Depth of Knowledge Percent of Items Level 1: Recall and Reproduction 20 25% Level 2: Skills and Concepts 65 70% Level 3: Strategic Thinking 5 15% Grades 6 8 Depth of Knowledge Percent of Items Level 1: Recall and Reproduction 10 15% Level 2: Skills and Concepts 65 70% Level 3: Strategic Thinking 15 25% Level 1 (Recall and Reproduction requires students to receive or recite facts, to use simple skills and abilities, and to demonstrate basic comprehension of a text. Items require only a shallow understanding of a single word or phrase. Some examples that represent but do not constitute all Level 1 performances are: Support ideas by reference to details in the text.)

7 Use a dictionary to find the meaning of words. Identify figurative language in a Reading passage. Level 2 (Skills and Concepts) includes the engagement of some mental processing beyond recalling or reproducing a response; it requires both comprehension and subsequent processing of text or portions of text. Inter-sentence analysis or inference is required. Some important concepts are covered but not in a complex way. Standards and items at this level may include words such as summarize, interpret, infer, classify, organize, collect, display, compare, and determine whether fact or opinion. Literal main ideas are stressed. A Level 2 assessment item may require students to apply some of the skills and concepts that are covered in Level 1. Some examples that represent but do not constitute all Level 2 performances are: Use context clues to identify the meaning of unfamiliar words. Predict a logical outcome based on information in a Reading selection.

8 Identify and summarize the major events in a narrative. Grade 4 Reading Test and Item Specifications Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests (OCCT) 5 Level 3 (Strategic and Extended Thinking) encourages students to go beyond the text; however, they are still required to show understanding of the ideas in the text. Students may be encouraged to explain, generalize, or connect ideas. Standards and items at Level 3 involve reasoning and planning and will probably be an extended activity, with extended time provided. The extended time period is not a distinguishing factor if the required work is only repetitive and does not require applying significant conceptual understanding and higher-order thinking. Students take information from at least one passage and are asked to apply this information to a new task. They may also be asked to develop hypotheses and perform complex analyses of the connections among texts, or describe and illustrate how common themes are found across texts from different cultures.

9 Students must be able to support their thinking. Items may involve abstract theme identification, inference across an entire passage, or students application of prior knowledge. Items may also involve more superficial connections between texts. Some examples that represent, but do not constitute, all Level 3 performances are: Analyze and synthesize information from multiple sources. Examine and explain alternative perspectives across a variety of sources. Describe and illustrate how common themes are found across texts from different cultures. Determine the author s purpose and describe how it affects the interpretation of a Reading selection. Summarize information from multiple sources to address a specific topic. Analyze and describe the characteristics of various types of literature. Note The descriptions are adapted from Review Background Information and Instructions, Standards and Assessment Alignment Analysis, CCSSO TILSA Alignment Study, May 21 24, 2001, Version Universal Test Design Considerations Universal design, as applied to assessments, is a concept that allows the widest possible range of students to participate in assessments and may even reduce the need for accommodations and alternative assessments by expanding access to the tests themselves.

10 In the Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests, modifications have been made to some items that simplify and clarify instructions, and provide maximum readability, comprehensibility, and legibility. This includes such things as reduction of language load in content areas other than Reading , increased font size, fewer items per page, and boxed items to assist visual focus. Reading tests will have vocabulary at Grade level. In all other tests, the vocabulary level will be below the Grade being tested except for content words. Grades 3 and 4 will be one Grade level below, and grades 5, 6, 7, and 8 will be two Grade levels below. These modifications are evident in the sample items included in this document. Copyright 2013 by the Oklahoma State Department of Education Grade 4 Reading Test and Item Specifications Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests (OCCT) 6 Testing Schedules Each subject test, except Writing, is divided into two separate sections at grades 3, 4, and 5.