Aprenda®: La prueba de logros en español, Tercera edición (Aprenda 3)

Ensure that Spanish-Speaking Students Meet Challenging Academic Standards that All Students Are Expected To Meet

Aprenda®: La prueba de logros en español, Tercera edición (Aprenda 3) measures the academic achievement of K-12 Spanish-speaking students in their native language. Modeled after its companion English-language test, the Stanford Achievement Test Series, Tenth Edition (Stanford 10), and developed with Latino educators, Aprenda 3 is the highest quality, most culturally inclusive Spanish-language test of academic standards. This technically excellent instrument provides administrators with the valid and reliable data necessary to evaluate advancement toward meeting the challenges set forth by the No Child Left Behind Act and national and state content standards. Teachers will gain valuable information about the progress students are making in their classrooms. Parents will learn what their children know and can do and how they can help.

"Our Spanish-speaking students really blew the lid off, really knocked the socks off national averages."

— as reported in the Houston Chronicle, May 11, 2006

Lectura/Reading
Lexile® Measure
Matemáticas/Mathematics
Lenguaje/Language
Ortografía/Spelling
Comprensión Auditiva/Listening
Ciencias/Science
Ciencias Sociales/Social Science

Lectura/Reading

These subtests reflect current thinking about the ways in which good readers construct meaning with text and the ways in which students are taught to read. 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.

The Sounds and Letters subtest centers on auditory perception and visual discrimination/symbol perception, the building blocks for using sound-symbol correspondence to decode and encode words. Word Reading emphasizes relationships between word meaning and decoding skills at the target grade level, and Sentence Reading assesses students' ability to comprehend single, simple sentences and two related sentences. The Reading Vocabulary subtest focuses on appropriate reading vocabulary development at each grade level.

The Reading Comprehension subtest uses three types of material to assess students' reading abilities: literary, information, and functional. Within each type of text, test items are constructed to measure the students' skills in four modes of comprehension: initial understanding, interpretation, critical analysis, and reading strategies.

New and Classic Features

New Features:

• Aligns with New IRA/NCTE Standards and State Standards
• Provides Expanded Testing of Early Literacy with New Types of Questions to Better Assess Foundation Skills
• Provides Lexile^® Measure (grades 2-12) to Identify Reading Levels and Customized Reading Lists
• Features More Poetry Selections and More Latino Culturally Relevant Reading Selections
• Emphasizes Literature Objectives and Includes More Opportunities to Show Reading Strategies

  
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Classic Features:

• Aligns with the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
• Utilizes Reading Selections Commissioned from Published Children' s and Young People' s Latino Authors
• Places an Emphasis on a Balanced Reading Curriculum that Includes, at Appropriate Grade Levels, Phonemic Awareness, Decoding, Phonics, Vocabulary, and Comprehension
• Includes Literary, Informational, and Functional Reading Selections
• Assesses Initial Understanding, Interpretation, Critical Analysis, and Reading Strategies

  
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Lexile^® Measure

The Lexile Framework^® is a tool that allows teachers to match students to specific texts. It defines and sequences books and other reading materials in terms of difficulty and provides a way to link students' reading achievement to that scale. Because Aprenda 3 has been matched to the Lexile Framework, students who take the full-length Reading Comprehension subtest can receive a Lexile measure in addition to scores reported by type of text and reading process. The score identifies each student' s level of reading and provides a means to match students to appropriate reading materials. Find out more about the use of Lexile Measures.

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Matemáticas/Mathematics

The Mathematics subtests assess students' mathematical power, a term defined by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) as “an individual' s abilities to explore, conjecture, and reason logically, as well as the ability to use a variety of mathematical methods effectively to solve non-routine problems.” These subtests are an essential part of systematic assessment that measures the concepts and skills of mathematics within the context of realistic and engaging problems.

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New and Classic Features

New Features:

• Measures Content and Processes Based on New NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (PSSM) and State Standards
• Provides Consistency in Names of Content Clusters Across Levels to Enhance Test Interpretation

Classic Features:

• Aligns with the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
• Measures Mathematics Problem Solving and Mathematics Procedures

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Lenguaje/Language

This 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 Language subtest is divided into four sections, with the first containing items that measure proficiency in language mechanics—capitalization, punctuation, and usage—with questions 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.

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New and Classic Features

New Features:

• Aligns with the New IRA/NCTE Standards and State Standards
• Includes Questions to Assess Strategies in Prewriting and Composing

Classic Features:

• Represents Different Modes of Writing in the Paragraphs, Reinforcing Sound Classroom Practice
• Mirrors Real Editing Situations with a Variety of Embedded Errors
• Measures Language Expression and Language Mechanics Objectives

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Ortografía/Spelling

 This new, separate Spelling subtest assesses objectives based upon the phonetic and structural principles taught at each of the grade levels. At the Intermedio and Avanzado levels, sight words are replaced by homophones.

The format for the Primario 1 Spelling subtest is dictated: students listen to a word and a sentence containing the word. At the Primario 2 through Avanzado 2 levels, the spelling words are presented in context. Each spelling item consists of one sentence with three underlined words and, beginning at Primario 3, a “No Hay Error” (“No Mistake”) option is offered. The misspellings used reflect students' most common spelling errors.

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New and Classic Features

New Features:

• Includes a Separate Spelling Subtest
• Offers a New Format with Realistic Spelling Errors Embedded in a Single Sentence

Classic Features:

• Tests Words in Context to Present a Realistic Task
• Reinforces the Authenticity of the Task with a “No Hay Error” (“No Mistake”) Option
• Reflects Common Errors Found in Students' Writing

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Comprensión Auditiva/Listening

This subtest assesses both listening vocabulary and comprehension. The vocabulary portion of the Listening 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.

Listening comprehension is assessed with dictated selections and questions and parallels the Reading Comprehension subtest. Using literary, informational, and functional materials, this section of the Listening subtest measures the same modes of comprehension: initial understanding, interpretation, and critical analysis and strategies.

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New and Classic Features

New Features:

• Provides a Wider Variety of Listening Selections
• Offers More Emphasis on Listening Strategies
• Includes Original Listening Selections Written for Aprenda 3 by Well-Known Latino Writers

Classic Features:

• Measures Listening Comprehension with Literary, Informational, and Functional Material
• Features Modes of Comprehension that Parallel the Reading Comprehension Subtest: Initial Understanding, Interpretation, and Critical Analysis and Strategies
• Includes Measures of Listening Vocabulary
• Reflects Real-Life Listening Tasks
• Encourages Note-Taking

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Ciencias/Science

The Science subtest assesses understanding of the life, physical, Earth sciences, and the nature of science with questions that elicit problem solving and inquiry using basic understanding of science. Students must use reasoning skills throughout the test 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 (Preprimario 1 - Primario 2) provides an assessment of children' s understanding of common experiences in their natural and social environments.

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New Features:

• Reflects Current Science Practice and Research
• Includes Questions Measuring the Nature of Science
• Aligns with the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council) and the Benchmarks for Science Literacy (American Association for the Advancement of Science) and State Standards

  
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Ciencias Sociales/Social Science

The Social Science subtests represent contemporary thinking in the content areas of history, geography, civics and government, and economics. The history questions focus on the history of the United States, the history of Western Civilization, and the history of non-Western peoples and societies sharing our interdependent world. The National Standards for History served as a guideline. Geography questions, based on the Geography for Life: National Geography Standards, reflect the growing importance of both physical and human geography in today' s schools. The political science component assesses the basic understanding of the U.S. system of government as outlined in the National Standards for Civics and Government. The Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics provides the foundation for economics questions, assessing both macroeconomic and microeconomic concepts.

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New Features:

• Reflects Current Social Studies Practice and Research
• Offers Emphasis on Thinking Skills
• Aligns with the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Curriculum Standards for Social Studies, and State Standards
• Gives Equal Attention to History, Geography, Political Science, and Economics
• Includes Cultural Elements Across the Social Science Subtest
• Reflects a Balance Between National and International Issues

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Materials for Parents, Students, and Educators

Aprenda 3 provides an array of support materials, many in Spanish to help prepare students for test-taking, guide instruction, and interpret test results.

Preview for Parents/Muestra para los padres

The Preview for Parents is available in Spanish. It outlines the purpose of Aprenda 3 and explains how parents can help their children prepare. There are brief descriptions and sample questions for each content area to inform parents about the skills and abilities measured.

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Practice Tests

The Practice Tests, in Spanish, help reduce test anxiety by familiarizing students with test directions, sample items, and answer coding.

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. It includes sample score reports and explains how to interpret them. It is available in English and in Spanish.

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Compendium of Instructional Standards

The Compendium of Instructional Standards, available in English and in Spanish (on CD-ROM), describes the structure of Aprenda 3 according to the content standards and cognitive processes the items measure.

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

Use the Lexile Measure to select from a large database of English and Spanish fiction and non-fiction titles.

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KeyLinks^® The Connection Between Instruction & Assessment^™
This interactive assessment helps teachers evaluate students’ reading/language arts and mathematics performance, while developing their test-taking strategies

The KeyLinks questions, in Spanish, resemble those found on standardized tests, including Aprenda 3. The variety of opportunities for both multiple-choice and student-constructed responses helps students develop different types of test-taking strategies and encourages learning any time during the year.

KeyLinks Reading/Language Arts

KeyLinks Mathematics

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Exciting NEW Features

• New Content Reflecting Current State and National Standards
• Subtests to Assess All Academic Content Areas
• Twelve Levels— Kindergarten-Grade 12
• Untimed Testing
• Latest Norms (2004) Based on the K-12 Population
• Reference Norms for U.S. Spanish-Speaking Students
• Reference Norms for Mexican and Puerto Rican Students
• Lexile Measure of Reading and Student-Customized Reading Lists
• Full-Color, Motivating, Easy-to-Navigate Testing Materials, including unique answer document 
• Reports Simplified for Utility and Color Enhanced for Readability
• Support Materials in English and Spanish
• Easy-order packages that contain all the testing materials needed for a classroom
• Aprenda 3 Results Online Web-based disaggregation tool

Classic Features

• Technical Excellence—Valid and Reliable Information
• Grade-Appropriate Content
• Easy-Hard-Easy Question Format—Items arranged to facilitate student engagement and test completion
• Materials to Support Interpretation and Parent Communication
• Achievement/Ability Comparisons with the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test—Multilevel Form (NNAT–Multilevel Form)

Aprenda 3 Scope & Sequence 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 provides for a more focused assessment of students tested in the spring of one grade and the fall of the next than could a single test level intended for use in both the fall and spring of the same school year. It also provides more opportunity to monitor academic growth when Aprenda 3 is administered in the fall and the spring.

At the high school levels, where the Avanzado 1 and 2 levels assess basic skills, a single level is appropriate for use in both the fall and spring of the same school year.

Aprenda3 Scope Sequence (PDF - 79kb)

Scoring & Reporting Services
Pearson Scoring Service provides carefully designed score reports. Contact the Scoring Hotline (800-328-5999 or fax 888-556-2103) for information and assistance when ordering scoring services and to resolve scoring problems.

An Order for Scoring Services (OSS) listing the services and options available will usually be included in every order of machine-scorable test booklets and answer documents. Complete the OSS and enclose it with your shipment of answer documents. Please call the Scoring Hotline at 800-328-5999 if you need additional OSS forms.

Click here for the Aprenda 3 scoring prices PDF.

Aprenda 3 Order Form.

Critical, Action-Oriented Information

Aprenda 3 helps educators make data-driven decisions. A range of new, user-friendly score reports, designed with the input of administrators and teachers across the country, supports teaching and learning and accountability requirements. Aprenda 3 ensures current inferences about national trends in student performance with the latest (2004) norms. Score reports give information about process as well as content.

Parents better understand their child’s achievement level and get direction for home involvement. Teachers receive specific information for instructional planning for individual students and the class, and for improving their own teaching. Administrators obtain critical data to document and monitor the progress of all children and to disaggregate results according to federal mandates.

Performance Standards Reports provide essential information about student mastery of academic standards. Teachers get student-specific and classroom information to help them meet the objectives.

Sample Student Report (English)

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Sample Student Report (Spanish)

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Sample Home Report (Spanish)

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Results Online
Aprenda 3 Results Online enables you to immediately disaggregate your student data to create customized reports for individual students or by school or district levels. Secure access and easy-to-use functions for querying, sorting, and reporting help you organize your data by your specific needs, whether it be by demographic variables or by student scores for specific subtests.

Lexile Measure
Lexile Measure A Special Instructional Reading Tool for Stanford 10, Stanford Reading First, SDRT 4, and Aprenda 3 customers! With the Lexile measure, identify books that match a student's reading level.
Find out more about the use of Lexile Measures.

Ready Results
With Ready Results, you can scan, score, and report locally. For more information, please call your local Educational Consultant or the Scoring Hotline at 800-328-5999.

Aprenda3 Flyer (PDF - 1460 KB)

ELL Brochure (PDF - 3469 KB) - A complete overview of the most culturally inclusive tools and assessments.