The Impact of Practice Test-Taking on NJ ASK 3, 4, and 5 Language Arts Scores

This study examined the effectiveness of a pilot program utilizing practice standardized test questions for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders in an economically disadvantaged school and evaluated the impact of the pilot program on pre- and post-test practice tests in language arts literacy and on the 2009 New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJASK) language arts literacy scores. The Buckle Down series used in this study is a targeted NJ ASK language arts literacy review. It covers reading strategies, comprehension and writing prompts. Both practice tests and end of lesson exercises include ASK-formatted multiple choice and open-ended questions. Using the t-test for dependent means, it was found that the treatment did have a significant effect on the post-test scores of the pilot program. A simple forward regression analysis showed that the post-test scores explained 35% of the variance on the NJ ASK language arts scores. Although the pilot program led to significant language arts improvement on the Buckle Down program assessments, the intervention was not successful in raising the achievement of the legally identified sub-groups of Economically Disadvantaged, White, African-American, Limited English Proficient and Special Education students as measured by the NJ ASK language arts literacy assessments securely into the proficient range.