KSA Testing Grades 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Kentucky uses a school report card system. Which component measures how much academic growth students make in a single year?
- Achievement score
- Gap score
- Growth score (Correct answer)
- Graduation rate
Correct answer: Growth score
The growth score measures how much academic progress individual students make from one year to the next, regardless of their starting point.
Question 2: At which grade levels does Kentucky administer the K-PREP science assessment?
- Grades 1, 3, and 5
- Grades 4, 7, and high school (Correct answer)
- Grades 2, 5, and 8
- Grades 3, 6, and 9
Correct answer: Grades 4, 7, and high school
Kentucky administers the K-PREP science assessment at grades 4, 7, and one high school grade level.
Question 3: What does the 'Distinguished' performance level on K-PREP signify about a student's achievement?
- The student is just beginning to develop grade-level skills
- The student meets only the minimum grade-level expectations
- The student demonstrates mastery well above grade-level standards (Correct answer)
- The student has been flagged for additional testing
Correct answer: The student demonstrates mastery well above grade-level standards
Distinguished is the highest K-PREP performance level, indicating a student has mastered content well beyond grade-level expectations.
Question 4: Which federal law currently governs state standardized testing requirements, including those in Kentucky?
- No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
- Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (Correct answer)
- Race to the Top
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
Correct answer: Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), signed in 2015, replaced NCLB and now governs state testing and accountability requirements.
Question 5: A Kentucky 5th grader is identified as 'Novice' in mathematics. Which intervention approach is most appropriate?
- Place the student in advanced coursework immediately
- Provide targeted remedial instruction to build foundational skills (Correct answer)
- Exempt the student from future state assessments
- Transfer the student to a different school district
Correct answer: Provide targeted remedial instruction to build foundational skills
Novice students need targeted remedial instruction to develop foundational skills before progressing toward grade-level proficiency.
Question 6: How does Kentucky's accountability system treat students with significant cognitive disabilities regarding state testing?
- They are fully exempt from all state assessments
- They take the standard K-PREP assessment without modifications
- They may take the Kentucky Alternate Assessment (KAA) aligned to alternate achievement standards (Correct answer)
- They are assessed only through teacher observation portfolios
Correct answer: They may take the Kentucky Alternate Assessment (KAA) aligned to alternate achievement standards
Students with significant cognitive disabilities may take the Kentucky Alternate Assessment (KAA), which is aligned to alternate achievement standards.
Question 7: In Kentucky's school grading system, what does the 'Gap' indicator measure?
- The difference between the school's current and prior-year scores
- The achievement gap between higher-performing and lower-performing student subgroups (Correct answer)
- The time gap between assessment administrations
- The difference in scores between reading and math subjects
Correct answer: The achievement gap between higher-performing and lower-performing student subgroups
The Gap indicator specifically measures the achievement gap between the highest-performing and the traditionally underserved student subgroups within a school.
KSA Testing Grades 3
Kentucky uses a school report card system.
Which component measures how much academic growth students make in a single year?