Dear Parent or Guardian:
On April 18 & 19 students in grades 5-8 will take the state assessment in (a) English Language Arts and (b) Mathematics. Students in grades 5 & 8 will take the state assessment in (c) Science on April 27. The purpose of this letter is to help in your understanding of the assessment, as well as providing a few ideas for improving your child's preparedness.
The assessments measure student achievement of our state's standards in the areas of English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. In addition, score reports will provide information on student performance in the following areas:
o English: Reading, writing, listening, & research
o Math: Concepts and procedures; problem-solving and modeling/data analysis; &
communicating reasoning
o Science: physical science, life science, and earth & space science
The assessments are given through an online computer application and are unique in the way they adapt to a student's question responses. This is important as it provides questions that are appropriate for your child's level of learning. As a result, each student has the same opportunity to succeed and maintain a positive attitude towards testing. These assessments are not timed; however, we provide the following times as estimates of assessment duration: (a) English - 3.5 hours, (b) Math - 3 hours and (c) Science - 1.5 hours.
Student grades will not be impacted by their performance on this assessment, however the assessment does serve as a way for the school to analyze how well we are helping students meet the standards. Shortly after the testing period is complete, you will receive a report showing your child's scores.
There is no need to study in preparation for the assessments. We do, however, ask that students try their best and get plenty of rest the night before testing. It is important for students to come to school on test days. Assessments are required, therefore making up a missed assessment leads to less instructional time and a loss of important learning opportunities.
This testing is very important for your child, Stagebarn Middle School and the Meade School District. Thank you for supporting your child and our school during this assessment period. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Amanda Christensen
Assistant Principal
Stagebarn Middle School
