Writing
Reading
Mathematics
Citizenship
Science

Sixth Grade Proficiency Tests Requirements

The following learning outcomes are recommended by the Ohio Department of Education:

WRITING

The student will be given one prompt or topic which will direct two writing activities, each in a different mode (purpose for writing).  The student will be given the two modes which will be selected from the following: fictional or personal experience narrative, a persuasive piece, informational writing, a communication (letter, invitation, memo, thank-you note, letter to the editor, directions), a journal entry, or a summary.

1. The student will use the writing process to make the writing activities clear for the intended audience, as evidenced by the capacity to:
2. Focus on the topic with adequate supporting ideas or examples;
3. Exhibit a logical organizational pattern that demonstrates a sense of flow and conveys a sense of completeness and wholeness;
4. Exhibit word choice appropriate to the subject, the purpose and the intended audience;
5. Communicate clarity of thought;
6. Use complete sentences except where purposeful phrases or clauses are desirable;
7. Write legibly using cursive or manuscript;
8. Demonstrate correct usage, correct spelling of frequently used words, and correct punctuation and capitalization;
9. Include sentences of varied length and structure.

READING

Fiction or Poetry Selections:

Given a fiction or poetry text to read silently, students will demonstrate an understanding of text and elements of fiction or poetry by responding to items in which they:

1. Analyze aspects of the text, examining, for example, characters, setting, plot, problem/solution, point of view, or theme;

2. Summarize the text;

3. Infer from the text; and/or

4. Respond to the text.

Given a fiction or poetry text to read silently, students will demonstrate an understanding of text and elements of fiction or poetry by responding to items in which they:

5. Compare and contrast aspects of the text, for example, characters or settings;

6. Critique and evaluate the text;

7. Select information for a variety of purposes, including enjoyment;

8. Express reasons for recommending or not recommending the text for a particular audience or purpose; and/or

9. Explain how an author uses contents of a text to support his/her purpose for writing.

Nonfiction Selections:

Given a nonfiction text to read silently, students will demonstrate an understanding of text and elements of nonfiction by responding to items in which they:

10. Analyze the text, examining, for example, author's use of comparison and contrast, cause and effect, or fact and opinion;

11. Summarize the text;

12. Infer from the text; and/or

13. Respond to the text.

Given a nonfiction text to read silently, students will demonstrate an understanding of text and elements of nonfiction by responding to items in which they:

14. Compare and/or contrast aspects of the text;

15. Critique and evaluate the text for such elements as organizational structure and logical reasoning;

16. Select information from a variety of resources to support ideas, concepts, and interpretations;

17. Express reasons for recommending or not recommending the text for a particular audience or purpose; and/or

18. Explain how an author uses contents of a text to support his/her purpose for writing.

MATHEMATICS

1. Apply the relation between doubling the side of a regular figure and the corresponding increase in area.

2. Determine the rule, identify missing numbers, and/or find the nth term in a sequence of numbers or a table of numbers involving one operation or power.

3. Apply appropriate notations and methods for symbolizing the problem statement and solution process.

4. Identify needed and given information in a problem situation, as well as irrelevant information.

5. Validate and/or generalize solutions and problem-solving strategies.

6. Compute with whole numbers, fractions, and decimals.

7. Find equivalent fractions.

8. Change freely between fractions and decimals.

9. Order combinations of whole numbers, fractions, and decimals by using the symbols <, <, >, >, and = and/or by placing them on a number line.

10. Use ratios and proportions in a wide variety of applications.

11. Visualize and show the results of rotation, translation, reflection, or stretching of geometric figures.

12. Recognize, classify, and/or use characteristics of lines and simple two-dimensional figures including circles; and apply models and properties to characterize and/or contrast different classes of figures including three-dimensional figures.

13. Use the distributive property in arithmetic computations.

14. Explain and reflect differences between calculators with arithmetic logic and calculators with algebraic logic when symbolizing a keying sequence and identifying the display as each key is pressed.

15. Use variables to describe arithmetic processes, to generalize arithmetic statements, and to generalize a problem situation.

16. Determine perimeters, areas, and volumes of common polygons, circles, and solids using counting techniques or formulas.

17. Convert, compare, and compute with common units of measure within the same measurement system.

18. Measure angles with a protractor.

19. Apply appropriate strategies to find estimates of sums, differences, products, and quotients of whole numbers (and determine whether the estimate is greater than or less than the exact result).

20. Estimate the sum, difference, product, or quotient of decimal numbers by rounding, and the sum, difference, or product of fractions and/or mixed numbers by rounding the fractions to 0, 1/2, or 1.

21. Collect data, create a table, picture graph, bar graph, circle graph, or line graph, and use them to solve application problems.

22. Read, interpret, and use tables, charts, maps, and graphs to identify patterns, note trends, and draw conclusions.

23. Apply the concept of average and calculate the arithmetic mean and mode of a given set of numbers.

24. Make predictions of outcomes of experiments based upon theoretical probabilities and explain actual outcomes.

CITIZENSHIP

1. Demonstrate knowledge of and ability to think about the relationship among events:

1. Group significant individuals by broadly defined historical eras.
2. Utilize multiple-tier time lines.

2. Utilize a variety of resources to consider information from different perspectives about North America:

1. Identify the central idea an historical narrative attempts to address.
2. Inquire into the relative credibility of sources.

3. Identify significant individuals from the past in North America and explain their contributions to the cultural heritage of the United States.

4. Identify a significant individual from a region of the world other than North America and discuss cause-and-effect relationships surrounding a major event in the individual's life.

5. Compare the gender roles, religious ideas, or class structures in two societies

6. Draw inferences about the experiences, problems, and opportunities that cultural groups* encountered in the past.

7. Describe how the customs and traditions of immigrant and other groups have shaped American life.

8. Utilize map skills:

1. Apply latitude and longitude to locate points on maps and globes.
2. Distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information on a map for a specific task.

9. Interpret and analyze maps, charts, or graphs to formulate geographic ideas:

1. Utilize time zones to compute differences in time and to describe their impact on human activities.
2. Determine and explain relationships among resources, economic activities, and population distribution.

10. Use maps of North America or the world to identify physical and cultural regions and to show relationships among regions.

11. Examine instances of contact between people of different regions of the world and determine the reasons for these contacts.

12. Describe the role of each factor of production in producing a specific good or service and suggest alternative uses for the resources involved.

13. Identify the factors that influence:

1. Consumer decisions to demand goods or services.
2. Producer decisions to supply goods or services.

14. Identify the factors that determine the degree of competition in a market and describe the impact of competition on a market:

1. Identify advantages and disadvantages of competition in the marketplace.
2. Explain the general relationship between supply, demand, and price in a competitive market.

15. Use information about global resource distribution to make generalizations about why nations engage in international trade.

16. Identify the main functions of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the United States national government and cite activities related to these functions.

17. Interpret how examples of political activity illustrate characteristics of American democracy.

18. Classify characteristics of government that are typical of a monarchal, democratic, or dictatorial type of government.

19. Analyze information on civic issues by organizing key ideas with their supporting facts.

20. Identify and analyze alternatives through which civic goals can be achieved and select an appropriate alternative based upon a set of criteria.

21. Identify ways to resolve private and public conflicts based on principles of fairness and justice.

22. Identify examples of citizen participation in political systems around the world.

* The expression "cultural groups" refers to a number of individuals sharing unique characteristics (e.g., race, ethnicity, national origin, and religion).

SCIENCE

1. Use a simple key to classify objects, organisms, and/or phenomena.

2. Identify the potential hazards and/or precautions involved in scientific investigations.

3. Make inferences from observations of phenomena and/or events.

4. Identify the positive and/or negative impact of technology on human activity.

5. Evaluate conclusions based on scientific data.

6. Recognize the advantages and/or disadvantages to the user in the operation of simple technological devices.

7. Predict the influences of the motion of some objects on other objects.

8. Propose and/or evaluate an investigation of simple physical and/or chemical changes.

9. Provide examples of transformation and/or conservation of matter and energy in simple physical systems.

10. Identify simple patterns in physical phenomena.

11. Describe simple cycles of the earth, sun, and moon.

12. Identify characteristics and/or patterns in rocks and soil.

13. Demonstrate an understanding of the cycling of resources on earth, such as carbon, nitrogen, and/or water.

14. Trace the transmission of energy in a small, simple ecosystem and/or identify the roles of organisms in the energy movement in an ecosystem.

15. Compare and/or contrast the diversity of ways in which living things meet their needs.

16. Analyze behaviors and/or activities that positively or negatively influence human health.

17. Analyze the impacts of human activity on the ecosystems of the earth.