tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54462406660447263112008-06-09T12:46:53.477-07:00KThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09704144544258308820noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5446240666044726311.post-43020625991362982862008-04-24T15:11:00.000-07:002008-05-07T14:33:45.130-07:00Dear Sequoia Community,<br /><br />California standardized testing begins this week! Our “testing window”<br />starts today, April 21st, and ends Friday, May 16th. All students in Second<br />-Fifth Grades will take the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) assessments.<br />Third Grade students will take the California Achievement Test (CAT/6), and<br />Fifth Grade students will take a Science and Physical Fitness Test.<br /><br />Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) provides information to individual schools,<br />districts, state department and federal government about students’ academic performance<br />in the areas of: reading, writing and mathematics. The federal government uses the<br />results of these tests to determine the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP); the state uses<br />these results to determine each school’s Academic Performance Index (API); and the district<br />uses this information to monitor individual schools. When individual schools fall<br />short of meeting state and federal government requirements, they are classified Program<br />Improvement (PI) schools. Although test scores assess student learning, it is important<br />to remember that they only provide a “snapshot” of student learning; standardized tests,<br />by no means, tell the whole academic story. To get the “full picture”, teachers rely on<br />teacher-made assessments, student observations and student projects.<br /><br />To prepare students for STAR exams, Sequoia teachers plan classroom instruction based<br />on California’s content standards. For a detailed listing of the content standards, check<br />out the California Department of Education website, www.cde.ca.gov, and click the “Curriculum<br />and Instruction” button at the top of the page.<br /><br />During testing, please support your child’s academic success by doing the following:<br />• See that your child is well-rested and eats breakfast EVERY morning.<br />• See that your child arrives at school on time and is relaxed.<br />• Encourage your child to do his/her very best work possible.<br />• Schedule doctor appointments and vacations either before or after testing<br />• Continue to instill in your child the power of positive thinking—if you think you can<br />achieve, you will!<br /><br />Our students receive quality instruction on a daily basis. I am therefore confident all our<br />students will perform well. Again, the testing “window” starts today, April 21st<br />and ends May 16th.<br /><br />Thank you in advance for your support!<br /><br />Don’t miss my “Principal’s Shout-Outs” in the newsletter! I’m always available for conferences,<br />and I’m just a phone call or e-mail away!<br /><br />HAVE A GREAT WEEK!<br />Kyla R. Trammell<br />879-1510 / Kyla.Johnson@ousd.k12.ca.usKThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09704144544258308820noreply@blogger.com