A fun and effective way to prepare 3rd graders for the New Mexico NM-MSSA standardized test. This resource makes it very easy to identify each student level and maximize growth and test scores. It’s designed to be used as a traditional practice test or as a fun board game to keep your students engaged.

This Resource Includes:

• A PDF with 4 reading passages and 23 ELA questions inspired by the New Mexico NM-MSSA test

• Questions are categorized by reading skill, difficulty level, and final percentile for 3rd graders (based on the latest published cut-offs):

■ Intervention | <21st Percentile | Scale Score 300-335 ■ On Track | 21st-40th Percentile | Scale Score 336-359 ■ Proficient | 41st-80th Percentile | Scale Score 360-369 ■ Advanced | >80th Percentile | Scale Score 370-390

• A complete answer key with explanations for every question. Also, each question is matched to the corresponding reading skill and NMCCSS/Common Core

A couple of weeks before the test, you can just print this PDF and give it to your students. I designed it to be very fast to score the student answers and get a sense of their current level, so that you can quickly advise them on what to work on the week before the test.

You can also make it into a fun board game that recreates the concept behind adaptive tests. The design makes it easy to cut out the questions. You can create different piles based on scale score bands or reading skill groups. Students start from the easiest pile and move to the next one after they correctly answer a certain number of questions from a given pile.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT LEVEL

These score bands are based on published state averages. If your class usually performs well above those averages, this grade level may feel easy for your students. Students who are consistently scoring above the 80th percentile may benefit from using the Grade 4 version of this test simulation.