1. What is PASS?
2. What content areas are included in PASS?
3. How might PASS be useful to students?
4. Is there evidence to show that PASS really works?
5. What are some of the ways that teachers and students can use PASS?
6. How can teachers get students started with PASS?
7. Should parents encourage their child to use PASS at home?
8. How do the themed destinations available at the end of each test relate to LEAP/GEE/ iLEAP success?
9. Can teachers and school administrators access or track their students' PASS scores?
10. How can I learn more about the LEAP, GEE, and iLEAP?
11. How can teachers support their students in taking tests?
12. Where did PASS come from?
13. What should students do if they have problems logging in or using PASS?
    

1. What is PASS?
PASS stands for Practice Assessment/Strengthen Skills. PASS is a Web-based practice test for Louisiana students. PASS serves as a continuation of education reform efforts in Louisiana by giving students an opportunity to practice skills that are similar to those on the LEAP, GEE, and iLEAP and to provide instruction to help strengthen those skills.

There are three levels for PASS:

• elementary school (grades 3–5)
• middle school (grades 6–8)
• high school (grades 9–12)

In addition to enabling students to practice skills, PASS also offers students an opportunity to learn about Louisiana geography and life science (elementary school level), outer space (middle school level), and world geography and cultures (high school level). As students complete each test, they uncover a new destination on a map. Each new destination shows interesting facts about that destination, along with links to Internet resources.

2. What content areas are included in PASS?
Mathematics, English language arts, science, and social studies are included. New units are added in a content area each month. Click here to see the schedule.

3. How might PASS be useful to students?
PASS provides an opportunity for students to

• improve performance in specific content areas
• receive instructional feedback tailored to their responses to each question
• practice test-taking skills
• become familiar and comfortable with types of test questions similar to those on LEAP, GEE, and iLEAP

4. Is there evidence to show that PASS really works?
The following points from a research paper by Carol Boston* at the University of Maryland, College Park, highlight the success of feedback-driven integrating learning and assessment models.

• Feedback given as part of formative assessment helps learners become aware of any gaps that exist between their desired goal and their current knowledge, understanding, or skill and guides them through actions necessary to obtain the goal (Ramaprasad, 1983; Sadler, 1989).
• The most helpful type of feedback on tests and homework provides specific comments about errors and specific suggestions for improvement and encourages students to focus their attention thoughtfully on the task rather than on simply getting the right answer (Bangert-Drowns, Kulick, & Morgan, 1991; Elawar & Corno, 1985).
• This type of feedback may be particularly helpful to lower-achieving students because it emphasizes that students can improve as a result of effort rather than be doomed to low achievement due to some presumed lack of innate ability.
• Formative assessment helps support the expectation that all children can learn to high levels and counteracts the cycle in which students attribute poor performance to lack of ability and therefore become discouraged and unwilling to invest in further learning (Ames, 1992; Vispoel & Austin, 1995).

PASS applies the proven success of these formative models by providing practice in the skills and standards assessed on the LEAP, GEE, and iLEAP. Additional research is underway to support further inferences concerning the validity of the PASS learning system.

*Boston, Carol (2002). The Concept of Formative Assessment. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 8(9).

5. What are some of the ways that teachers and students can use PASS?

Teacher-guided instruction:

• Entire class (Each student strengthens skills at his or her own pace according to his or her own strengths and weaknesses.)
• Focused teaching (A portion of the class learns on PASS while other students work directly with the teacher.)
• Substitute days (Students can learn online when the teacher is absent.)

Individual instruction:

• Library, computer lab, or study hall (available for any student to work on specific areas of need)
• Home use (parent involvement, additional homework, practice, extra credit, additional reading)
  

6. How can teachers get students started with PASS?
Teachers distribute to students the PASS informational brochures received from the district office. To support student efforts and encourage students to use PASS, teachers may want to go over the informational brochure in the classroom. The brochure contains information for teachers, parents, and students. Included in the brochure is the Screen Name and password that all students will use for their initial log-in.

• The brochure will direct students how to log on to the PASS Web site using the Screen Name and password from the informational brochure. They will be prompted to create their own Screen Name and will be given a password. Students will use their own Screen Names and passwords every time they log in.
• Once in PASS, students will follow directions, choose a test, and begin. They may stop at any time and exit completely, or they may choose a new test or they may go back to a partially completed test.
• As students complete each test, they can uncover a new destination on a map. The new destination will provide facts about that destination, as well as links to additional Web sites on the same topic. In addition to providing an incentive for students to complete the tests, the maps and destinations provide students with opportunities to learn about Louisiana, outer space, or countries around the world.
• Or, contact the PASS help desk by sending an e-mail requesting assistance to help@LouisianaPASS.org.

7. Should parents encourage their child to use PASS at home?
Having time at home for the child to use PASS at his or her own pace is ideal. PASS was designed as a stress-free learning tool that is available from any computer with an Internet connection to Louisiana students in grades 3 through 12. Younger children may need a parent’s help in using PASS initially, but older students should have no problem working independently on PASS. Besides being able to work problems, answer questions, write compositions and receive instruction tailored to their individual responses, a child can also read and explore the topics and links on the destination pages at the ends of the tests. These links often lead to other opportunities for learning, such as suggested projects or further reading.

8. How do the themed destinations available at the end of each test relate to LEAP/GEE/iLEAP success?
One of the most effective ways to improve reading achievement is by increasing the amount of time spent reading in school and at home. Destination passages and linked content offer students this opportunity by providing additional grade-level appropriate text in areas of interest.

For more details, see Monitoring Reading Practice, a publication of the International Reading Association.

9. Can teachers and school administrators access or track their students'
PASS scores?
No. The PASS system is designed for anonymity in order to provide students with privacy, as is appropriate with a voluntary practice test system. Teachers will not be able to access student scores. No one will be able to track a student's scores or progress except the student and anyone with whom the student chooses to share that information.

10. How can I learn more about the LEAP, GEE, and iLEAP?
The most thorough and definitive information is available online via the Louisiana Department of Education website at www.louisianaschools.net under The Tests.

11. How can teachers support their students in taking tests?
Please click here to read about Testing Tips. Please click here to go to a list of links to educational resources on the Internet.

12.Where did PASS come from?
PASS is a joint development of the Louisiana Department of Education and the Pacific Metrics Corporation. The Louisiana Department of Education provides Louisiana standards-based test questions similar in content and format to those on the LEAP, GEE, and iLEAP. Pacific Metrics provides specialized psychometric software, online resources, and content development services to the educational community.

13. What should students do if they have problems logging in or using PASS?
Students should contact the PASS help desk by sending an e-mail requesting assistance to help@LouisianaPASS.org.