About P2A

Instructional
Support

Motivating
Students

Content
Alignment

Scoring and
Reporting

Administration
Options

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT
PRACTICE TO ACHIEVE

1. What is Practice to Achieve?
2. How does Practice to Achieve benefit schools that subscribe?
3. What are some of the ways that my school can use Practice to Achieve?
4. For what grade levels is Practice to Achieve intended?
5. Is there a version of Practice to Achieve for the California STAR testing program?
6. How can Practice to Achieve help my LEP Students?
7. What standards are tested by Practice to Achieve?
8. How are Practice to Achieve test sessions organized?
9. Can I see the test questions in the Practice to Achieve system?
10. How often are new tests added to the Practice to Achieve system?
11. Should students use calculators on the Mathematics tests?
12. How do the California-themed destinations relate to CAHSEE success?
13. Is there evidence to show that Practice to Achieve really works?
14. What are the technical requirements of Practice to Achieve?
15. Where did Practice to Achieve come from?
16. How can I learn more about the California High School Exit Exam?
17. How can I learn more about Practice to Achieve?

What is Practice to Achieve?

• Practice to Achieve is an online interactive learning system that helps students master California standards-based Mathematics and English-Language Arts content.
• Practice to Achieve is also an online assessment system that boosts performance on the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE).
• Practice to Achieve is also an online diagnostic system that provides information to your instructional and assessment staff.

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How does Practice to Achieve benefit schools that subscribe?

• Students benefit from supplemental standards-based instruction in mathematics and English targeted individually to their areas of greatest need.
• Students develop test-taking skills, reduce test anxiety, and build confidence while responding to questions similar in look, feel, and content to the material on CAHSEE.
• Teachers benefit from greater classroom flexibility, better prepared students, and critical information about the students they teach.
• Administrators gain a tool to improve test scores and achieve higher API as well as a cost-effective intervention resource available to the entire school population.
• Parents have a home resource that allows for working with their child regardless of their own potential limitations in Mathematics or English-Language Arts.

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What are some of the ways that my school can use Practice to Achieve?

Teacher-guided instruction

• Entire class (each student strengthens skills at their own pace and according to their strengths and weaknesses)
• Focused teaching (portion of class learns on P2A system while other students work directly with teacher)
• Substitute days (students can learn online when teacher is absent)

Classroom or school-level assessment

• Practice tests that assess CAHSEE readiness
• Reports with diagnostic information that assists with further remedial interventions

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, or extra credit)

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For what grade levels is Practice to Achieve intended?
As P2A is primarily intended to help students improve California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) scores by mastering CAHSEE standards-based content, P2A is primarily designed for high school students preparing to take CAHSEE. However, since CAHSEE standards are drawn from the middle school grade levels in Mathematics and often include “foundational” applications of the high school English-Language Arts standards, P2A can also be used by middle school students to strengthen on-grade level skills. Finally, since schools can add customized units to their P2A systems, P2A has the capacity to benefit students at any grade level.

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Is there a version of Practice to Achieve for the California STAR testing program?
No. Such a product could potentially place users in violation of the California Education Code.

As stated in Section 60611of the California Education Code, "No city, county, city and county, or district superintendent of schools or principal or teacher of any elementary or secondary school shall carry on any program of specific preparation for the statewide pupil assessment program or a particular test used therein." Further, as set forth in Title 5, California Code of Regulations, section 854, also in reference to the statewide testing program, "no program or materials shall be used by any school district or employee of a school district that are specifically formulated or intended to prepare pupils for the designated achievement tests." (California Department of Education, Policy on Preparation for State Tests and the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program)

Click on the link below to learn more about these statewide regulations currently in place in California.

• Policy on Preparation for State Tests and the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program

However, since STAR/CST and CAHSEE measure many of the same standards, students who use Practice to Achieve to master CAHSEE English Language Arts and Mathematics content will have also mastered much of the same content assessed by STAR/CST. In addition, schools can enhance the coverage of their P2A systems by adding custom units.

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How can Practice to Achieve help my LEP students?
A Spanish-enhanced version of Practice to Achieve, designed specifically for LEP (Limited English Proficiency) students, is now available. Contact Pacific Metrics for more information.

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What standards are tested by Practice to Achieve?
The P2A blueprint is designed to cover all the content of a complete California High School Exit Exam test form while providing additional coverage for designated standards. The tables below show coverage by strand. To see coverage by standard, refer to Technical Bulletin 1: Content Validity.

P2A English-Language Arts

P2A Mathematics

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How are Practice to Achieve test sessions organized?
Each complete P2A test module consists of four English-Language Arts sessions and five Mathematics sessions, organized by CAHSEE strand. The following tables show the content of each of the sessions comprising a complete P2A test module.

P2A Test Module Content (English-Language Arts)

P2A Test Module Content (Mathematics)

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Can I see the test questions in the Practice to Achieve system?
P2A questions are proprietary; therefore you can not see the test questions without a P2A subscription. However, some sample content is shown on the P2A website, and additional content can by seen by requesting a P2A demo. Furthermore, since P2A questions are written to the same standards and guidelines of actual CAHSEE test questions, reviewing released CAHSEE test questions will provide you with a very good idea of what P2A questions look like.

• See released CAHSEE questions for ELA ( 2002 | 2001 )
• See released CAHSEE questions for Mathematics ( 2002 | 2001 )

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How often are new tests added to the Practice to Achieve system?
New test modules are added to the P2A system every September and March. In addition, subscriber schools may add custom content to their own P2A system at any time (subject to custom set-up and programming fee).

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Should students use calculators on the Mathematics tests?
The California High School Exit Exam limits calculator use to students with very specific IEPs. Therefore, if P2A is being used to prepare for CAHSEE, it is advisable that students attempt Mathematics tests without a calculator. Furthermore, P2A (and CAHSEE) test questions are written to test concepts and applications rather than rigorous computations.

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How do the California-themed destinations relate to CAHSEE 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. California destination passages and linked content offer students this opportunity by providing additional grade-level appropriate text in areas of interest.

For more details, see this publication of the International Reading Association

• Monitoring Reading Practice

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Is there evidence to show that Practice to Achieve 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).”

*Boston, Carol (2002). The concept of formative assessment. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 8(9).

P2A applies the proven success of these formative models to the mastery of the California High School Exit Exam standards. Additional research is underway to support further inferences concerning the validity of the Practice to Achieve learning system. The results of this research will be published in a series of Technical Bulletins.

• View P2A Technical Bulletin 1: Content Validity

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What are the technical requirements of Practice to Achieve?
Only an internet connection is required. P2A is compatible with Internet Explorer, Netscape, and other popular web browsers.

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Where did Practice to Achieve come from?
Practice to Achieve is a product of the Pacific Metrics Corporation. The mission of Pacific Metrics is to improve student achievement through the effective use of technology. Pacific Metrics provides specialized psychometric software, online resources, and content development services to the educational community.

More information about Pacific Metrics is available at www2.pacificmetrics.com or by contacting Pacific Metrics directly.

Pacific Metrics Corporation
585 Cannery Row, Suite 201
Monterey, CA 93940
Phone: 831.333.1620
Fax: 831.333.1632
info@pacificmetrics.com

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How can I learn more about the California High School Exit Exam?
The most thorough and definitive information is available online via the California Department of Education website. In addition, up-to-the-minute news and articles can be found using common internet search engines such as Google.

• Go to the California Department of Education CAHSEE website
• Read the latest CAHSEE headlines and news articles

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How can I learn more about Practice to Achieve?
Contact Pacific Metrics Corp. if you have any questions about P2A or if you would like to discuss purchasing P2A for your school or district.

P2A news, information, and resources are also added regularly to the Practice to Achieve website (www.practicetoachieve.com).

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