From NY State, With Love: Try Your Kid's Standardized Test Questions

The New York State Education Department released half of the reading and math multiple-choice questions from this year's third- through eighth-grade standardized tests on Monday, two days before test scores are expected to be released statewide.

In a letter to school district leaders, Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia said she hoped sharing 50 percent of the questions would help educators assess student performance and improve their practice.

"This, along with other information about student learning gathered throughout the last school year, is helping teachers, principals, and district leaders set instructional priorities and strategies for the year ahead," Elia wrote.

She also made a point of saying the tests should be only one factor in the evaluation of teachers, and should not drive instruction. 

"Test preparation should consume as little classroom time as possible," Elia wrote. "Let’s work together to do all we can to eliminate or minimize unintended consequences from testing, whether increased anxiety for students and their parents, or the narrowing of the curriculum."

While the conversation continues over testing and how results should be used, take a look at some of the actual questions and answers.

Here's a third-grade math question that almost all the test takers answered correctly:

(NYSED)

This one stumped a few more kids: 55 percent of seventh graders answered correctly. 

(NYSED)

On the English Language Arts tests, there's room for written responses. Here's a correct answer from a fourth grader who had just read about how roller coasters are designed and built.

(NYSED) 

Finally, two questions in the sixth-grade test relating back to a passage about a topic near and dear to an adolescent's heart: sleep. It's an article with quotes from experts and multiple data points, requiring close reading and analytical skills.

(NYSED)