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Grade Level Pages
Standards
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 There are many components to the Nevada Proficiency Examination Program. The Criterion Reference Test (CRT) is part of that program. Most of the information on this page came directly from the Nevada Department of Education's website. What is the Nevada Proficiency Examination Program?
3rd Grade |
4th Grade |
5th Grade |
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Reading |
Math |
Science |
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Nevada Proficiency Examination Program |
 Each year, third, fourth, and fifth grade students are assessed as part of the Nevada Proficiency Examination Program (NPEP). There are different tests taken by students enrolled in public and charter schools in specific grades and specific programs. NPEP includes the following assessments:
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High School Proficiency Examination (HSPE) in Reading and Mathematics
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Writing Assessments
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Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS)
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Iowa Tests of Educational Development (ITED)
- Criterion-Referenced Tests in Reading, Mathematics, & Science (CRT)
- Language Proficiency Assessment
- Nevada Alternate Scales of Academic Achievement (NASAA)
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National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP)
 According to the Nevada Department of Education, there are several reasons why Nevada uses this comprehensive series of assessments. First, it provides opportunities for districts, schools, teachers, students, and parents to assess student achievement in the areas specified by Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS). Another purpose of the NPEP is to provide accountability to the public and to the Legislature. Test scores from the CRTs, the Writing Assessments, and the HSPE are used to determine Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for every public school and charter school as well as for the eight student populations required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
The Nevada Department of Education publishes material to be used as "part of a
guided instructional activity to
support student performance on assessments. While these materials can provide students with practice
in answering assessment items, we believe it is critical that these materials be used to help students
understand the elements of the state assessment and to guide them in the use of effective strategies that
will support their ability to comprehend and take a variety of assessments."
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Purpose of Reading Text
The purpose of reading must be taught to students. The state criterion-referenced tests include four types of reading passages: literary, informational, functional, and persuasive (only at grades 6 and 7). What is the purpose of reading these types of texts?
1. Literary Text – to identify, describe, analyze, and compare characters, character traits, themes, settings, sequence, plot, conflict, resolution of conflict, and figurative language, and to make
inferences and predictions.
2. Informational Text – to locate essential information from text features, distinguish between
fact/opinion, determine cause/effect, identify or describe main ideas, draw conclusions about
text, summarize an author’s ideas, evaluate an author’s ideas and arguments, assess evidence to
support an author’s ideas, and identify unsupported or faulty reasoning of an author’s position.
3. Functional Text – to locate information, determine the main idea, draw conclusions, summarize
information, and determine an author’s purpose.
4. Persuasive Text – to evaluate how an author’s ideas shape the text, summarize an author’s ideas, and assess the reasonableness of evidence.
When students understand the types of questions that can be asked for a given type of text, they can be
better prepared for the assessment. By using these materials, you can identify, read, and discuss these
different text types and the corresponding knowledge and skills students are expected to demonstrate.
These same reading analysis skills can be applied to reading for core classes such as math, science, and
social studies.
 The Nevada Department of Education believes that students are not thoroughly being taught the content
and vocabulary of the Nevada Reading Content Standards. For example, character traits, author’s
purpose, main idea, cause/effect, fact/opinion, analyze, and predict are terms used in the assessments at
grade-appropriate levels.
Students in Nevada, therefore, must have repeated experiences with hearing (oral vocabulary),
reading, and writing the vocabulary of the standards in order to be successful on the state test as well
as classroom and district tests.
Make sure that your students know the language of the standards that are being tested. They should be
able to recognize the vocabulary of the standards when you discuss them in class and read them in texts,
and they should be able to effectively use the words in their writing.
Types of Questions on the Reading CRT
The reading test includes two basic types of questions: multiple-choice items for all grades (3 through
high school) and written-response items for grades 4 – 8. To help prepare students for written-response questions, the Nevada Department of Education has provided:
1. the student checklist (included in the student test booklet at grades 4 and 5)
2. the general student rubric (included in the student test booklet at grades 6 through 8)
3. item-specific rubrics
 With guided instruction, students can become familiar with the different types of questions used on the
state assessments. They can learn to use the checklist or rubric to determine if they have answered the
written-response questions completely. Familiarity with the tools provided as part of the test and the
vocabulary of the standards can result in less anxiety on the part of students and teachers. (Please note
that the student checklist and general rubric can be on the walls of your classroom throughout the
school year. As you assign written-response questions, students can use these tools as they develop their
answers.)
These types of questions allow for the assessment of different levels of cognitive demand. The questions are developed so that students cannot just skim and scan the passages to find the answers; they must go back and re-read the text to determine the correct answer, including drawing inferences
and conclusions from what they have read.
Cognitive Ability Levels- Reading
The assessment of reading as part of Nevada’s Proficiency Examination Program includes the
assessment of three cognitive ability levels. These ability levels are based on the National Assessment
of Educational Progress (NAEP) Aspects of Reading.
Forming an Initial Understanding (A-1) – Questions at this level assess the students’ initial
understanding of what is read. For A-1 questions, the answers can be found directly in the text or
as a simple restatement of information found in the text. In addition, some Standard 1 questions
(e.g., demonstrate knowledge of prefixes, suffixes, roots, base-word structures, Anglo-Saxon-,
Greek-, and Latin-derived roots) are coded as A-1 items.
Developing an Interpretation (A-2) – Questions at this level assess the ability to extend initial
understanding to develop a more complete understanding of what was read. This process may
involve linking information across parts of a text as well as focusing on specific information. Questions that assess this aspect of reading include drawing inferences about the relationship of two
pieces of information and determining evidence as support for an action.
Determining a Critical Stance (A-3) –
Questions at this level require students to stand apart from
the text, consider the entire text objectively, and evaluate its quality and appropriateness. Examining
textual content and structures requires critically evaluating, comparing and contrasting, and
understanding the effect of such features as irony, humor, and organization.
Length of Passages
The guidelines for passage length for each grade level are as follows:
Grade 3: 300 – 500 words
Grade 4: 300 – 550 words
Grade 5: 400 – 700 words |
Students should be made aware of the length of the test at their grade level. By seeing what a 500-word
text actually looks like, students are not overwhelmed on the day of the test when they encounter one of
the longer passages. Note: Poetry and functional text typically do not meet these word-count guidelines.
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| Types of Questions on the Math CRT |
The mathematics test includes two basic types of questions: multiple-choice items for all grades
(3 through high school) and constructed-response items for grades 4 through 8. To help prepare students
for constructed-response questions, the Nevada Department of Education has provided:
1. the student checklist (included in the student test booklet at grades 4 and 5)
2. the general student rubric (included in the student test booklet at grades 6 through 8)
3. item-specific rubrics
 With the use of these materials, students can become familiar with the different types of questions used
on the state assessments. They can learn to use the checklist or rubric to determine if they have
answered the constructed-response questions completely. Familiarity with the tools provided as part of
the test and the vocabulary of the standards can result in less anxiety on the part of students.
Please note
that the student checklist and general rubric can be on the walls of your classroom throughout the
school year. As you assign constructed-response questions, students can use these tools as they develop
their answers.
The types of questions on these documents allow for the assessment of different levels of cognitive
demands. The questions are developed so students can demonstrate
mathematical thinking at multiple cognitive levels.
Cognitive Ability Levels - Math
The assessment of mathematics as part of Nevada’s Proficiency Examination Program includes the
assessment of three cognitive ability levels. These ability levels are based on the National Assessment
of Educational Progress (NAEP) Aspects of Mathematics. The following are the three levels used in the
state of Nevada:
Conceptual Understanding (A-1) – Students will be asked to apply and know facts and
definitions. They also will be asked to use and relate models, diagrams, manipulatives or
representations of concepts and principles, as well as extend the nature of concepts and principles.
The students also will interpret assumptions and relations involving concepts and principles in
mathematical settings.
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Procedural Knowledge and Skill (A-2) – Students will be asked to use mathematical algorithms
to efficiently complete a task. They can perform non-computational tasks such as rounding and
ordering. Students also can produce or interpret tables, graphs and constructions. They will use
reasoning to connect algorithms and skills to complete a given task.
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Problem Solving (A-3) – Students will be asked to use strategies, data, models, and relevant
mathematics effectively. They can generate, extend, and modify procedures to fit new situations.
Student will be able to judge and document the validity and appropriateness of solutions in novel
mathematical and practical situations.
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Mathematical Content Literacy
The Nevada Department of Education believes that students are not thoroughly being taught the content
and vocabulary of the Nevada Mathematics Content and Process Standards. For example, mean, total,
stem and leaf, and translate are terms used in the assessments at grade-appropriate levels and can have
different meanings depending upon how the word is used.
 Students in Nevada, therefore, must have repeated experiences with hearing (oral vocabulary),
reading, and writing the vocabulary of the standards in order to be successful on the state assessment
as well as in classroom and district tests. Make sure that your students know the language of the
standards that are being tested. They should be able to recognize the vocabulary of the standards when
you discuss them in class and read them in texts, and they should be able to effectively use the words in
their writing. This will be especially useful when students are working on the constructed-response
items of the exam.
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CRT Preparation - Science |
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Instructional materials are currently being developed by the Nevada Department of Education. As soon as those documents are available they will be posted on the Beatty web site for you to use.
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