Skills Assessed and Programs Developed to Enhance Deficiencies

English Usage/Mechanics

• Verbs - using the correct principal part of verbs
• Capitalization and Punctuation - uses of capital letters and the various marks of punctuation
• Sentence Structure - clearly expressing ideas
  
• Agreement - subject, verb agreement
  
• Diction - proper word choice
  
• Rhetorical Skills
  
• Style- appropriate transitions between paragraphs and sentences
  
• Organization and Strategy - improving the structure of paragraphs
  
  

Reading

• Social Studies
• Arts and Literature
• Reading: Vocabulary - using vocabulary in context
• Reading: Main Idea - determining a title, central idea, underlying argument
• Reading: Idea Stated - who, what, when, where questions
• Reading: Infer from Text - questions not directly related to the text
• Reading: Text Development - determining the author's attitude or tone
  
  

Critical Reading

• Sentence Completion.
  • Definitional - a word that is defined or explained in the sentence
  • Contrast - a word that contrasts with the key word or phrase
  • Mixed Type - words have positive or negative connotations
  • Cause and Effect - a word that provides a logical connection between a cause and effect
  • Synonym - a word that is a synonym or closely related word
    
• Comprehension Reading
  • Vocabulary in Context - infer the meaning of a word or phrase from its context
  • Finding the Main Idea - identify the main focus of the passage
  • Recognizing a Paraphrase - determining answers from a paraphrase of the text
  • Making Inferences - making inferences from relevant facts in the passage
  • Attitude, Mood, and Tone - Interpret the author's view toward the subject being written about
  • Text Development - determine purpose/ function or relationship between parts of the text

Writing Skills

• Being Consistent - verb tense, pronoun shifts, parallelism, Noun/pronoun agreement, subject verb agreement
• Expressing Ideas Logically - logical sentence structure, continuity between sentences and paragraphs
• Being Precise and Clear - Ambiguous pronoun reference, correct word choice, wordiness, weak passive verb
• Following Conventions - Adjective/adverb convention, double negative, wrong relative pronoun/case, idioms, incorrect comparisons, comma splice/fused sentence
• Multiple-Choice Grammar Skills
  • Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics - tense, agreement, reference, diction
  • Sentence Construction: parallel structure,coordination/subordination, idioms
  • Organization and Development - focus, unity, coherence
• Essay Writing Skills
  • Point of View/Critical Thinking - development of position by insightful, relevant examples
  • Organization and focus - unified, well-organized presentation of position
  • Use of Language and Vocabulary - versatility and mastery in use of appropriate vocabulary and transitional devices
  • Sentence Structure Variety - variety in sentence structure to enhance communication

Verbal

• Analogies
  • Is a Type of relationship between a category and a member of the category
  • Is a Part of relationship between the whole item and a part of that whole
  • Is a Place Where - relationship between a place and word associated with that place
  • Is Used to - relationship between a tool/reference/medication and its use or function
• Degree - relationship between a word and an intensified version of the word
  • A Characteristic of relationship between a word and the characteristic or defining attribute
  • Antonym - relationship between words with opposite meaning
  • Definition - relationship between a word and part of its definition
• Sentence Completion
  • Definitional - a word that is defined or explained in the sentence
  • Contrast - a word that contrasts with the key word or phrase
  • Positive and Negative - words have positive or negative connotations
  • Cause and Effect - a word that provides a logical connection between a cause and effect
  • Synonym - a word that is a synonym or closely related word

Math

• Arithmetic - basic arithmetic procedures
• Percents - calculating percentages, converting decimals and percents
• Ratios - determining ratios between numbers
  
• Averages - working with averages, median and mode
• Number Theory - even & odd numbers, prime & composite factors, series and sequences
• Divisibility - basic rules of division
• Exponents - multiplying and dividing exponents
• Roots and Powers - working with squares and square roots of numbers
• Inequalities - determining the relationship between two numbers
• Simultaneous Equations - solving simultaneous equations
• Algebra - signed number problems, rate x time problems
• Points, Lines, and Planes - determining interior, exterior, and angles
• Triangles - types of triangles, determining common lengths and angles
• Polygons - types and properties of polygons
• Circles - area, circumference, arcs, lines
• Area / Perimeter / Volume
• Coordinate Axes - points on axes, slope, length of lines, area
• Use the Table / Chart / Graph
• Weird Functions - substituting numbers for variables
• Solving word problems
• Quantitative Comparisons - equalities, inequalities and estimation
• Grid-in Answers - student-produced responses to various math problems
• Pre-Algebra/Elementary Algebra
• Variable Linear Equations
• Signed Numbers/Absolute Value
• Averages - mean, median, mode
• Multiples and Factors -greatest common factor and least common multiple
• Ordering Numbers - placing fraction and decimals in least to greatest order
• Probability - probability of an event
• Proportions - solving word problems, solving for missing terms
• Ratios - determining ratios between numbers
• Substitution - substituting a number for a variable
• Factoring and Quadratic Equations - factoring common expressions
• Polynomials - simplifying polynomials
• Linear Equations - solving equations involving fractions
• Exponents - properties of exponents
• Intermediate Algebra / Coordinate Geometry
• Complex Numbers - simplifying complex numbers
• Functions -simplifying functions, ordered pairs, domain and range
• Inequalities - determining the relationship between numbers or variables
• Matrices - operations involving matrices
• Quadratic Inequalities - solving quadratic inequalities
• Quadratic Formula -quadratic formula to solve quadratic equations
• Systems of Equations - solving two equations with two variables
• Rational Expressions - solving algebraic and numerical fractions
• Solving Radical Equations - solving equations involving square roots
• Distance and Midpoint - using the distance and midpoint formulas
• Conic Sections - identifying graphs and equations of parabolas, circles, ellipses, and hyperbolas
• Number Line/Coordinate Plane - graphing expression on the number line and on the coordinate plane
• Equations of a Line - solving problems involving slope and midpoint
• Parallel and Perpendicular Lines
• Sequences and Series - solving arithmetic and geometric sequences
• Plane Geometry/Trigonometry
• Polygons - properties of quadrilaterals, pentagons, and hexagons
• Roots of Polynomials - relationship between the roots of polynomials and the coefficients of polynomials
• Right Triangles - review of Pythagorean Theorem
• Trigonometry - Ratios of trigonometric functions
• Trigonometry - properties of the principal trigonometric functions
• Trigonometry - Graphs of trigonometric functions

Science Reasoning

• Experimental Design - deduce the purpose of an experiment
• Predicting Outcomes - determining the outcome of an experiment
• Inducing Principles - determining a scientific principle from a description of an event, phenomenon, or experiment
• Comparing Theories and Experiments - evaluate alternative theories, hypotheses or viewpoints
• Performing Calculations - basic algebraic or arithmetic calculations related to science
• Representing Data - understand, evaluate, and interpret information from graphs and tables