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
Types of Science Investigations
Students will distinguish between descriptive, comparative, and experimental investigations.
Experimental Design
Given investigation scenarios and lab procedures, students will identify independent variables, dependent variables, constants, and control groups.
Disruptions of the Cell Cycle: Cancer
Given illustrations or descriptions, students will identify disruptions of the cell cycle that lead to diseases such as cancer.
Taxonomy Standards
Given examples, students will recognize the importance of taxonomy to the scientific community.
Taxonomy: Major Groups
Given illustrations or descriptions, students will determine the classification of organisms into domains and kingdoms.
Homeostasis: Ecological Systems
Given images, videos, or scenarios, identify and describe the responses of organisms, populations, and communities to various changes in their external environment.
Biological Systems: Homeostasis
Identify and describe internal feedback mechanisms involved in maintaining homeostasis given scenarios, illustrations, or descriptions.
Relationships Between Organisms: Food Chains, Webs, and Pyramids
Given illustrations, students will analyze the flow of matter and energy in food chains, food webs, and ecological pyramids.
Organisms' Adaptations
Given scenarios, illustrations. or descriptions, the student will compare variations and adaptations of organisms in different ecosystems.
Theories
Given laboratory investigation scenarios, students will distinguish between scientific hypotheses and scientific theories.
Data Organization
Given field and laboratory scenarios and laboratory data, students will construct data tables and graphs, using repeated trials and means to organize data.
Conclusions and Scientific Explanations
Given laboratory investigation data, students will determine the best conclusion based upon that data.
Measurement
Given investigation quantitative data, students will determine its degree of precision and/or accuracy and causes for uncertainties in measured data.
Newton's Law of Inertia
This resource provides instructional resources for Newton's First Law, the law of inertia.
Conservation of Momentum
This resource was created to support TEKS IPC(4)(E).
Newton's Law of Action-Reaction
This resource is to support TEKS (8)(6)(C), specifically the Newton's third law or the law of action-reaction.
Properties of Soil
A Tier 1 earth science instructional resource for grade 4.
Equipment for Biology
Given investigation scenarios, students will determine the equipment that best fits the procedure.
Scientific Notation
Given quantitative data students will express and manipulate chemical quantities using scientific notation.