If you've wondered how you would perform in school under the new Common Core State Standards, New York state just made it easier to find out.
This week, the New York State Education Department released 50 percent of the questions used in the standardized tests this past year for grades three through eight. The assessments follow the Common Core State Standards, which New York adopted in 2010 and fully implemented in the 2013-2014 school year.
The Common Core State Standards are a set of learning standards that have been adopted in a majority of states in an effort to make sure students around the country are meeting the same benchmarks. However, the standards are increasingly controversial, and a number of states who initially adopted them have since opted out.
While New York was one of the first states to adopt and implement the standards, which are supposed to better prepare the students for college and careers by emphasizing critical thinking instead of rote memorization, the benchmarks have still received much pushback. Last year, only 31 percent of the state's students were deemed proficient in math and language arts, according to standardized tests, and many educators and parents criticized the tests for being too tough. Additionally, some in New York have criticized the Common Core implementation process, which they say was too rushed for teachers and students.
Below, we have compiled some of the 2014 math questions released by New York state for third-graders, fifth-graders and eighth-graders in three separate quizzes. While the math is pretty straightforward for the fourth-graders, you will likely need a calculator by the time you get to the eighth-grade quiz. Keep in mind that the tests also contained questions where students were required to show their work and explain their answers, though we have provided a selection of multiple choice questions.
When you're done, check your answers at the bottom of the post and head here to see all the questions and answers released by New York.
For fifth-graders:
For eighth-graders:
Answer key for third-grade test: 1/4, the square is a unit square that can be used to measure area, 9 x ? = 72, 300, 10
Answer key for fifth-grade test: the number of cubic units it takes to fill a solid figure, 64, (5 x 8) - 3, 453,362, 29/35
Answer key for eighth-grade test: x = -2, y = 1, the area of a circle as a function of the radius, 9, 1.601 x 10^9, 4^2