Texas Middle School Fluency Assessment (TMSFA)
Texas Education Code (TEC) §28.006(c-1) requires that students who do not meet the passing standard on the Grade 6 State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) reading test must be administered a reading assessment at the beginning of grade 7. The Texas Middle School Fluency Assessment (TMSFA) was developed with Texas students to be a valid and reliable instrument for determining students’ areas of instructional need.
The TMSFA is based on valid and reliable scientific research, thoroughly measures each domain of development, and is user-friendly. The following three domains of development are assessed using the TMSFA.
- Text Comprehension (Reading)
- Word Analysis
- Fluency
Introduction to Plate Tectonics
This resource is intended to use for Tier I classroom instruction.
Human Impact
This resource can be used, in conjunction with best practices, for Tier I classroom instruction.
Potential and Kinetic Energy
This resource provides Tier I instruction ideas for Grade 6+ science teachers in the area of potential and kinetic energy.
Gravity
Using interactives, students will demonstrate that gravity is the force that governs the motion of our solar system.
Matter and Energy—Chemical Reactions
Given descriptions or illustrations, students will investigate how evidence of chemical reactions indicates that new substances with different properties are formed.
Interactive Science Glossary
The Interactive Science Glossary is a resource that supports students who are learning the language of science. This resource includes written and spoken definitions and sentences in both Spanish and English. Students can even create, download, and print their own vocabulary cards.
Elements and Compounds
This resource provides flexible alternative or additional learning opportunities for students to differentiate between elements and compounds on the most basic level, Science TEKS (6)(5)(C).
Natural Selection and Selective Breeding
A Tier 1 life science instructional resource for Grade 7
Ecological Succession
A Tier 1 life science instructional resource for Grade 7
Organic or Inorganic?
This resource provides flexible alternate or additional learning opportunities for students to identify organic compounds, Grade 7 Science TEKS 7(6)(A).
Human Activity in Watersheds
Given scenarios, descriptions, maps and illustrations, students will be able to model the effects of human activity on groundwater and surface water in a watershed.
Human Systems
Given descriptions or illustrations, students will be able to identify the main functions of the systems of the human organism.
Organisms and Environments—Cell Theory
Given descriptions or illustrations, students will be able to recognize that according to the cell theory all organisms are composed of cells, and compare the functions of a cell to the functions of organisms.
Matter and Energy—Food Chains, Food Webs, and Energy Pyramids
Given scenarios and descriptions, students will be able to diagram the flow of energy through living systems, including food chains, food webs, and energy pyramids.
Understand New Vocabulary Using Roots and Affixes (English 7 Reading)
You will learn how to determine the meaning of grade-level academic English words derived from Latin, Greek, or other linguistic roots and affixes.
Explain the Influence of the Setting on Plot Development in Literary Text/Fiction (English 7 Reading)
You will learn how the setting in a story can influence the development of the plot.
Analyze Point of View in Literary Texts/Fiction (English 7 Reading)
You will learn how to analyze different points of view, including first person, third-person omniscient, and third-person limited.
Understanding Drama (English 7 Reading)
You will learn how to explain a playwright’s use of dialogue and stage directions.
Understand New Vocabulary Within Context (English 7 Reading)
You will learn how to determine or clarify the meaning of words using context within a sentence and in larger sections of text.