Iowa Basic Skills Sample Tests for 3rd Grade Students
Is your 3rd grade child attending public school in Iowa? If so, he or she will be taking the Iowa Assessments toward the end of the school year. Read on to find out more about this test and how to help your child succeed.
What Should I Know About the Iowa Basic Skills Sample Tests?
What's the Iowa Basic Skills Test?
Beginning with the 2011-2012 school year, the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) has been changed to the Iowa Assessments, and some revisions were made to the content of the tests. The Iowa Assessments are a series of standardized tests given to K-12 students. The math and language arts portions of the test are based on the Common Core State Standards, while science and other subjects are based on standards determined by the Iowa Department of Education.
What Subjects Appear on the Test?
The Iowa Assessments cover a variety of subjects and are divided into several smaller exams. The 3rd grade assessments - known as level 9 - cover language arts, math, science, social studies, listening and computation. You may want to look at the Common Core State Standards for 3rd grade math and language arts (www.corestandards.org) and the Iowa Core (www.corecurriculum.iowa.gov) to learn what skills your child will be tested on within each of these subjects.
How Can I Help My Child Prepare?
It's important that your child remain on top of her schoolwork throughout the 3rd grade. If your child doesn't fall behind in her schoolwork, homework, reading and studies, she will be better prepared when it's time for the Iowa Assessments.
To help your child prepare for the Iowa Assessments, make sure she understands the importance of these tests and how her scores will be evaluated and used. She may feel less anxious if she knows that it's used as a tool by her teachers and other school personnel to monitor her yearly progress. You can go over test-taking methods with her, like how to manage her time and make thoughtful guesses on questions she doesn't know how to answer.
Are Sample Tests Available?
The publisher of the Iowa Assessments, Riverside Publishing, provides samples upon request (www.riversidepublishing.com); however, these tests may not be intended for public use. Consider checking with your child's teacher to see if her school has requested these materials or to get additional tips on how she can prepare for the Iowa Assessments.
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