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Information About The Proficiency Assessments for Wyoming Students(PAWS) Tests

State Testing Information for Wyoming

Portions of the following material were taken from the Wyoming Department of Education website. Please see our links and source sections at the bottom of the page for more details and references.

General Description of the Tests

Proficiency Assessments for Wyoming Students (PAWS)

• Grades 3–8 and 11 - Reading, Writing, and Mathematics
• Grades 4, 8, and 11 - Science
• Provides information for teachers to make instructional decisions regarding their students throughout the school year

Proficiency Assessments for Wyoming Students – Alternate (PAWS-ALT)

• Designed for a small number of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities
• Grades 3 – 8 and 11

National Assessment for Education Progress (NAEP)

• The only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America’s students know and can do in a variety of subject areas
• Grades 4 and 8
• Reading, Mathematics, Science, History, Civics, and the Arts
• Results of NAEP provide an indicator for state progress and allow for valid comparisons to be made across states and the nation

Test Desrciptions

Proficiency Assessments for Wyoming Students (PAWS)

• Mathematics

A. Skills for Number Operations and Concepts Standard
- Understand the meaning of arithmetic operations and make reasonable estimates
- Understand ways to represent numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems
- Develop the connection between conceptual understanding and computational proficiency

B. Skills for Geometry Standard
- Specify locations and describe spatial relationships using coordinate geometry and other representational systems
- Analyze characteristics and properties of two- and three-dimensional geometric shapes
- Apply transformations and use symmetry to analyze mathematical situations

C. Skills for Measurement Standard
- Understand measurable attributes of objects and the units, systems, and processes of measurement
- Apply appropriate techniques, tools, and formulas to determine perimeter, area or volume

D. Skills for Algebra Standard
- Understand patterns, relations, and functions
- Use mathematical models to represent and understand quantitative relationships

E. Skills for Data Analysis and Probability Standard
- Collect, organize, and display relevant data to answer questions and use appropriate statistical methods to analyze the data
- Develop and evaluate inferences and predictions based on data


• Reading

A. Purposes (Skills) for Reading Functional Texts
- Determine information's relevance and importance.
- Select and apply information for a task.

B. Purposes (Skills) for Reading Expository Texts
- Understand main points and supporting details.
- Recognize expositional organization and its use.
- See relationship of text's content to broader issues/topics.

C. Purposes (Skills) for Reading Narrative Texts
- Identify the development of basic story elements.
- Understand a story's plot development.
- Identify a story's theme(s) and its (their) development.


• Writing

- Purpose/Voice: How well does the writer address the intended purpose and audience, and how well did the writer engage the reader?
- Idea Development: How well does the writer develop the idea or theme, together with relevant supporting details?
- Organization: How well does the writer address the internal structure of the writing through a coherent, logical organization?
- Sentence Fluency: How well does the writer address the flow of the language through correct sentence structure and the use of varied sentences?
- Word Choice: How well does the writer use words to convey the intended message in a correct, appropriate, and effective way?
- Conventions: How well does the writer address the mechanics of the writing through usage, spelling, grammar, capitalization and punctuation?


• Science

A. Use observation to pose questions that can be addressed through a scientific investigation
- Observing is the skill of recognizing and noting some fact or occurrence in the natural world, including the act of measuring, and an understanding of the types of questions science can and cannot answer.

B. Design a scientific investigation to collect data
- Designing is the process students use to create a method for collecting fair and adequate data to answer their questions.

C. Conduct a Scientific Investigation
- Scientific investigation is conducted with a variety of technologies such as hand tools, measuring instruments, calculators, and computers.

D. Collect, organize, and represent data
- The processes of collecting, organizing, and displaying data develops scientific inquiry skills and habits of mind such as attention to detail, recognizing the need for reproducible results, and deciding which types of data are of greatest value in answering the questions posed.

E. Draw conclusions and make connections
- Drawing conclusions is the process of analyzing the data which have been collected, examining patterns and trends in the data, and using them to formulate explanations.
- It also involves examining the quality of data produced and evaluating their usefulness in answering the questions that were posed.

F. Merge conclusions with concepts and knowledge
- Students are also asked to link their observations to their knowledge of scientific concepts and are asked to explain their understandings of the phenomena being studied.

Testing Schedule
PAWS Calendar 2009
PAWS-ALT Calendar 2009

Source:
Wyoming Department of Education

Source Accessed Date:
January 02, 2009

Links
Wyoming Standards, Assessment & Accountability
Proficiency Assessments for Wyoming Students (PAWS)
NAEP and State Assessments

 
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