Measure achievement with a culturally inclusive assessment

Aprenda 3 helps you measure the academic achievement of K–12 Spanish-speaking students in their native language. Modeled after Stanford 10 and developed with Latino educators, Aprenda 3 offers you the highest quality, most culturally inclusive Spanish-language test of academic standards.

Features and Benefits

Aprenda 3 provides you with:

• A technically excellent measure designed to help you meet No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requirements, with all items based on state and national content standards
• Reading passages are written by published authors of Spanish children’s literature in the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Spain, and Central and South America; test items are written by experienced teachers in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Mexico
• Questions that assess all core content areas: reading, mathematics, language, spelling, listening comprehension, science, and social science
• Untimed testing, which gives all students the opportunity to show what they know
• Grade-appropriate content
• Emphasis on thinking skills
• Full-color, motivating, easy-to-navigate testing materials
• Customized list of appropriate reading materials in Spanish
• Materials to support interpretation and parent communication in English and Spanish
• Braille and large-print versions for special accommodations
• Open-ended assessments that provide additional insight into students’ academic achievement (open-ended items only available with Aprenda 2.)

Administration Options

Test Levels

Twelve test levels with questions unique to each level provide more accurate assessment across the grades. At the elementary, middle, and junior high school levels, the concepts and skills assessed are those ordinarily taught during the second half of any given year and the first half of the following year. This midyear-to-midyear configuration—with students tested in the spring of one grade and the fall of the next—provides a more focused assessment and greater opportunity to monitor academic growth. At the high school levels, where the Avanzado 1 and 2 levels assess basic skills, a single level is appropriate for use in spring of the same school year and fall of the next year.

Standards Connection

All items are based on state and national content standards:

• State Academic Standards
• International Reading Association (IRA) and National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Standards
• National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Principles and Standards for School Mathematics
• National Science Education Standards (NRC)
• Benchmarks for Science Literacy (AAAS)
• National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Standards
• Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing
• Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education

Scope and Sequence Diagram with Testing Times

View the document.

Support Materials

To Help Students Prepare

Prueba de práctica/Practice Tests: Practice tests in Spanish, which were standardized with a national sample, help reduce test anxiety by familiarizing students with test directions, sample items, and answer coding.

To Help Teachers Interpret and Apply test Results

Compendium of instructional Standards: Available in English (hard copy) and Spanish (CD-ROM), this resource describes the structure of Aprenda 3 according to the content standards and cognitive processes the items measure

To Communicate with Parents

Nuestra para los padres/Preview for Parents: Available only in Spanish, this booklet outlines the purpose of Aprenda 3 and explains how parents can help their children prepare. Brief descriptions and sample questions for each content area help inform parents about the skills and abilities measured.

Cómo entender los resultados de la prueba/Understanding Test Results: Students and parents will appreciate this useful resource, which briefly describes why standardized tests are administered and how the results can be used. This booklet, printed in English and Spanish, includes sample score reports and explains how to interpret them.

Aprenda 3 home Report: The Aprenda 3 Home Report gives parents ideas for home activities to help reinforce their children’s learning.

Content

Lectura/Reading

The Reading subtests are designed to mirror the developmental, process-oriented nature of good reading
instruction and the kinds of instructional materials used in exemplary programs. They align with IRA/NCTE standards, state standards, and the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), with an emphasis on a balanced reading curriculum that includes phonemic awareness, decoding, phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension, at appropriate grade levels. The Reading Comprehension subtest helps assess initial understanding, interpretation, critical analysis, and reading strategies, addressing three major purposes for reading by using literary, informational, and functional texts. Open-ended assessments are also available.

Authentic reading selections commissioned from published authors and illustrators of Spanish children’s literature help create a level playing field for all students and reflect diverse multicultural themes to appeal to students of varying Hispanic backgrounds, experiential levels, and interests.

A Lexile® measure for Grades 2–12 is included. The Lexile Framework defines and sequences reading materials in terms of difficulty and allows you to identify customized reading lists for students based on their reading achievement. For information about the use of Lexiles, please visit PearsonLexile.com. To search for Spanish books, please visit www.Lexile.com/fab/Spanish

Matemáticas/Mathematics

The Mathematics subtests assess student proficiency in the fundamental concepts and processes of problem solving, in keeping with the NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (2000). Some items call for careful analysis, synthesis of information, attention to detail, and the selection and use of appropriate strategies. Some items distinguish between mathematical concepts and mathematical vocabulary by requiring students to use thinking skills to respond.

Many items are contextualized so that students can relate to them and become engaged in the test. Reading included in the mathematics items is on or below grade level to help ensure that students’ reading ability will not affect their performance. Open-ended assessments are also available for more insight.

Both standard and metric rulers are used in the Mathematics Problem Solving and Mathematics subtests for the Primario 1–Avanzado 2 levels. Mathematics formula sheets that provide the formulas necessary to solve problems are included for the Intermedio 4–Avanzado 2 levels. Calculator use is an option in the Mathematics Problem Solving subtest beginning at the Intermedio 1 level and in the Mathematics subtest at the Avanzado levels.

Lenguaje/Language

For Grade 1–Grade 12, the Language subtest measures students’ achievement in applying the principles that form effective writing. From word- and sentence-level skills to whole-paper features, the subtest engages students in real-life activities that demand more than the mere recall of information.

The subtest is divided into four sections, with the first containing items that measure proficiency in language mechanics (capitalization, punctuation, and usage) and that resemble an actual editing task. The second, third, and fourth sections assess language expression, including understanding of sentence structure, prewriting and editing skills, and objectives typically assessed by a direct writing assessment. Reinforcing sound classroom practice, the subtest represents different modes of writing in paragraphs. It also includes questions to assess strategies in pre-writing and composing. Open-ended writing assessments are also available.

Ortografia/Spelling

The Spelling subtest, offered at the Primario 1–Avanzado levels, assesses objectives based on the phonetic and structural principles taught at each of the grade levels. At the Intermedio and Avanzado levels, sight words are replaced by homophones.

At the Primario 1 level, students listen to a word and a sentence containing the word. At the Primario 2–Avanzado 2 levels, the spelling words are presented in context. Each spelling item consists of one sentence with three underlined words. Beginning at Primario 3, a “No Hay Error” (“No Mistake”) option is offered. The misspellings used reflect students’ most common spelling errors.

Comprensión Auditiva/Listening Comprehension

Aprenda 3 helps assess both listening vocabulary and comprehension for K–9 in recognition of the importance of listening skills in literacy development, learning in general, and everyday life.

The Vocabulary portion of this subtest measures knowledge of word meanings. Tested vocabulary represents a carefully chosen sample of the types of words that students at each grade are likely to encounter.

The Listening Comprehension portion uses dictated selections and questions. This section parallels the Reading Comprehension subtest, using literary, informational, and functional texts to measure the same modes of comprehension: initial understanding, interpretation, and critical analysis and strategies.

Ciencias/Science

The Science subtest assesses students’ understanding of the life, physical, and earth sciences and the nature of science with questions that elicit problem solving and inquiry using one’s basic understanding of science. Students must use reasoning skills throughout the subtest to reach answers. These skills include estimating, making simple calculations, seeking patterns, making observations, recognizing cause and effect, reading standard instruments, and drawing conclusions. Students are challenged to apply foundation concepts and skills as they think through questions.

The Environment subtest for Preprimario 1–Primario 2 helps assess children’s understanding of common experiences in their natural and social environments.

Ciencias Sociales/Social Science

At all levels, the Social Science subtest represents contemporary thinking in the content areas of history, geography, civics and government, and economics, aligned with the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Curriculum Standards for Social Studies and state standards. Equal attention is given to history, geography, political science, and economics. Cultural elements are included across the entire subtest and a balance between national and international issues is reflected.

Using the National Standards for History as a guideline, the history questions focus on the history of the United States, Western civilization, and non-Western people and societies who share our interdependent world. Geography questions reflect the growing importance of both physical and human geography in today’s schools and are based on the Geography for Life: National Geography Standards.

The political science component helps assess students’ basic understanding of the U.S. system of government as outlined in the National Standards for Civics and Government. The economics questions help evaluate both macroeconomic and microeconomic concepts and are founded on the Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics.

System Check

Before you place this order, please perform this system check to ensure that all computers that will be used meet the minimum requirements.

Minimum System Requirements for Online Testing

The following system specifications will provide the best online testing experience.

Windows Computers

¹  Edge, Chrome and Firefox support is limited to the current version plus one previous version due to forced automatic updates

Processor: 233 MHz or higher Intel Pentium/Celeron family, or AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family; or compatible processor

RAM: 128 MB or higher

Macintosh Computers

Processor: PowerPC G3, G4, or G5 processor; or Intel-based Mac

RAM:  256 MB or higher

Windows Computers and Macintosh Computers

Processor Speed and RAM: The system’s processor speed and available memory have minimal impact on the actual appearance of the test, though, in terms of performance, items may take slightly longer to display with slower processors or machines with lower amounts of RAM.

Display: 17" display at 1024 x 768 with 16-bit color (65,536 High Color) or higher

Internet Connection: Broadband/High-Speed connection

Internet Connection: Most tests will run fine on a dial-up modem for a single test taker.  Performance is typically driven by the size of the graphics or media in the test.  For best results, candidates and testing locations should use a broadband connection. 

Wireless Connections:  If candidates are using a wireless network (Wi-Fi) for testing, they should consult their local technical administrator to ensure their network adheres to best practices for wireless network design. The number of devices per access point should be less than the vendor's recommendation. In addition, we recommend wireless access points with 802.11n capability using WPA2 encryption with a 100BASE-T uplink to the local area network. To reduce wireless network bottlenecks, use access points with 802.11n simultaneous dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) with Gigabit uplink to the local area network. Nearby and "rogue" wireless networks, specifically those from mobile hotspot devices and smartphone tethering, will impact test performance.

Additions to Student Workstation

Browser: Pearson Secure Browser for Windows, available for download at www.pearson.programworkshop.com (after access setup)

Tools: Flash v8

Alternate for Administrators and Proctors

Supported Browser: May alternately use Firefox 3.6 or higher

All Computers Used for Sample Tests

Pop-Up Blockers: Pop-up blockers must allow pop-up windows from the testing site

Cookies: Cookies must be enabled

Aprenda 3 helps educators make data-driven decisions.

A range of user-friendly score reports are available via Pearson Scoring and Reporting Services. Designed with the input of administrators and teachers across the country, these reports support teaching, learning, and accountability requirements. Aprenda 3 ensures current inferences about national trends in students’ performance with the latest norms. Score reports give information about student performance process standards and content standards.

Administrators obtain critical data to document and monitor the progress of all children and can disaggregate results according to federal mandates.

Teachers receive specific information to inform instructional planning for individual students and the class and to help improve their teaching.

Parents better understand their child’s achievement level and get direction for home involvement.

NOTE: Scoring guides are available for learning how to score all open-ended items. Pearson scoring and reporting services are not available for open-ended assessments.

Results Online

Aprenda 3 Results Online, a web-based service, gives you quick, flexible access to Aprenda 3 data and allows you to generate a variety of reports. Learn more about this service.

Ready Results

Scan, score, and generate reports locally with this desktop and web-based tool. Learn more about this tool

Report Samples

Home Report: Intended for parents. Available only in Spanish.

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Student Report with Clusters: Student reports provide essential information about student mastery of academic standards to help teachers make informed curricular and instructional decisions, resulting in improved student achievement.

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Student Performance Standards Report (Spanish): Performance Standards Reports provides essential information about student mastery of academic standards. Teachers receive student-specific and classroom information to help them meet objectives.

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For more information on Order for Scoring Services click here