‘Tis the Season
The end of the year is upon us which means the sun is starting to shine more, the birds are chirping earlier, and each school in our district is hurriedly preparing to wrap up another school year. We are so thankful to have kids in the building at the end of this year which allows us to bring back some of our traditions like awards assemblies and promotion. Before we can completely wrap up the year we also have to complete the season of testing.
Standardized testing has been under fire lately from teachers, parents, and educational organizations. While there are a variety of opinions regarding the importance of standardized testing, they are our reality. The good news is that testing gives teachers and administrators a chance to review data and make instructional decisions. We are very cognizant of the fact that a student is far more than a test score so we just use the information as a piece of their big picture.
At MMS, the first testing our students will participate in are our iReady assessments in reading and math. These tests give us grade-level information on students strengths and areas that need improvement. We use this information to place students in our GROWL classes, which focuses on meeting students where they are academically in reading and math and pushing to the next level. iReady data is at the heart of our students’ growth when coupled with grades, and teacher observations. #MakingMindsStronger truly takes a lot of information!
After iReady students take their MAP tests, which come from the state level. All students take English Language Arts and Math tests. Eighth grade students also take tests in Science and those students enrolled in Algebra take the End of Course test instead of the MAP Math test. These tests are being abbreviated this year due to the pandemic but will give some insight into the strength of our curriculum and instruction. The good news is that these test scores will not hurt us as we are evaluated on our effectiveness by state measures, again, due to the pandemic.
It tis’ the season to be testing! At home, parents can support their children by having them go outside and play at night, go for a walk, or throw a ball around. This is the time to have a consistent bedtime routine, encourage students to do their best, get plenty of sleep, eat breakfast, and drink plenty of water! Thank you in advance on behalf of all of our schools for your continued support, how lucky we are to be in this district!