Just wanted to be sure all of our families knew about these two upcoming events! I hope you will join us!
The Stanford Achievement Test provides our school with an opportunity to evaluate our program. This series of standardized tests is administered to all VBA students in kindergarten through grade 11 during the week of April 21. The results allow school administration and parents to see how our students compare to other students who take this same test. SATs are not used to determine whether or not a student advances to the next grade level. In fact, our teachers do not spend time “teaching the test” as has been the case with standardized testing in the public school. SATs are simply one tool that we can use to evaluate our school.
Also, we all must remember that this is only one measurement of student progress. Sometimes parents may be alarmed if a student does not test well, and while some investigation would be appropriate, the student may have simply had a bad day or not understood some questions because of how they were worded. In the end, SATs are a good tool for our school to use to evaluate the effectiveness of our program. I did want to share some helpful hints for our parents as we prepare for the tests. First, be sure that students get plenty of rest during SAT week. Students who are not well rested do not typically test well! Second, please be sure that your student(s) is/are here and are on time! This would not be a good week to take a family day. Also, if your student is under the weather please do your best to evaluate the severity of the sickness. While we do not want to spread sickness to other students, a schedule difficulty is created when students are absent. It is also important that students are on time! Tests begin near the beginning of the school day, and tardy students cause the entire class schedule to change. Please be especially mindful of being to school on time! Third, be sure that students eat a good, healthy breakfast each morning. Foods that are high in sugar content may cause the students to “crash” mid-morning, which of course, could have a negative impact on their testing. With that, classes will also be breaking for a snack time. Your child’s teacher will communicate with you regarding the specifics of snack time, but once again, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of sending healthy snacks! Fourth, encourage your students to take their time. Our teachers will be on the lookout for students rushing through the test, but we need you to reinforce the importance of this with your student. While these tests do not affect student promotion, we do want them to do their best so that we have an accurate reflection of their progress. We are looking forward to a great week of testing! As always, if you have questions, do not hesitate to contact Matt Ticzkus. We're looking forward to a great week! |