Middle Year Benchmark Updates
The mid year benchmark assessment window is currently open. K-3 teachers, please refer to this slide deck for reminders about how to administer the assessments measures that you were trained to complete in October. Schools should use the guidance below for completing the assessments within the MOY window.
Classroom teachers, interventionists, and building coaches will administer the MOY assessments.
Kinder - 3rd
Classroom Teachers - Teachers are welcome to use your social studies time to complete these assessments. Teachers will keep their own class during extended day time, and auxiliary staff will still teach the kids in the classroom so that teachers can pull students into the hallways. Complete the MOY assessments as quickly as possible so that we can resume normal extended day instruction.
Interventionists & Building Coaches - Complete assessment with your extended day group first. When finished, assist in classrooms that have the most need starting with first-grade dual language since these classrooms administer the greatest number of assessments.
- 4th - 6th
Utilize your targeted time first to complete the MOY assessments, and use your extended day time as needed.
7th - 8th
Do not pause instruction. Complete a few assessments a day in order to get it done. You can also utilize Tiger Time to complete these assessments.
Student Celebrations in Amplify and Galeria
Amplify and Galeria are both rigorous literacy curricula; however, our students are rising to the challenge. Refer to this slide deck to see how our students are performing on the end of unit assessments across the district.
Teachers, please make sure that you’re entering your data and having students complete the assessments within MasteryConnect so that we see a more complete picture of how our students are performing. We will share our updated screening data as soon as it’s available.
Language and Literacy Committee
A Language and Literacy Committee has been proposed to replace the ICC committee. The purpose of this committee will be to strengthen the instructional materials that align with our tier 1 literacy curriculum. This includes enhancing, not replacing, the slides that come with CKLA and Caminos, creating knowledge supports so that we’re using the same materials district-wide, and developing appropriate scaffolds to help our students be successful with our literacy curricula. Please be on the lookout for the posting to join other educators in this important work.
The mid-year iReady diagnostic will come quickly after we return in January. iReady provides these resources for teachers in order to help prepare their students for the mid-year diagnostic. The diagnostic will open on January 22, 2024 for all students, grades K-8. Remember once the diagnostic is assigned, students will not be able to access any other materials on iReady until it is finished. We are excited to see the growth our students will make based on the work that we see going on in the classroom!
There are customizable slide decks in English and Spanish available from Curriculum Associates to your grade and situation. Please feel free to use it with your students in order to prepare for the mid-year diagnostic. You also can use the Tips and Tools: Preparing Students for the Diagnostics document to help you set goals with your students for the upcoming diagnostic. Getting good data is helpful for you and for your students as it helps all of us see how students are growing and it also helps the diagnostic be customized for each student.
Please make sure that your students have completed their end-of-unit assessments for science and that data is in Mastery Connect. We use this data to help drive curriculum decisions and professional development requests. It also helps us plan for better support for you and for our students.
As we continue to use consumable materials in science, please remember to use your building’s materials request form to get anything you may have used up. Forms will be coming out in the new year to help us replenish what you need!
We are still working on translating and updating the end-of-unit assessments within MasteryConnect. Please make sure that you’re entering your data and having students complete the assessments within MasteryConnect to help us better understand if our current social studies curricula is meeting our needs.
We are also finalizing our Social Studies Curriculum Committee. The purpose of this committee will be to make a social studies curriculum recommendation to the Board of Education. We will use information from our social studies survey as well pieces from the InquiryED Curriculum Evaluation Rubric, information from the John Hopkins School of Education Reviews and Illinois Civic Hub, and the Mandated Topics Checklist to help inform our decision.
MOY Assessment Calendar
MOY Assessments have begun for Literacy. All students K - 8 will participate in the Reading Universal Screener through mClass. The testing window will run from December 1 - 15.
NWEA MAP Growth Testing for students in grades K - 8 will take place from December 11 - 22 for both Reading and Math.
iReady Diagnostic for Math will not take place until the end of January as there must be 12 weeks of instruction between the assessments.
You may review all the upcoming dates on the Common Assessment Windows Calendar 2023-24.
D99 University: Overview and Access
The D99 University is a repository of self-driven tutorials and quick tip videos on the digital platforms that are supported by the District. Thee are two ways to access the tutorials within D99 University.
- Join the D99 University Schoology Group.
- Tutorials can also be found on the Instructional Technology page of the District 99 Website.
Monthly D99 Tech Tips are included within the D99 University Schoology Group and archived there for your reference. You can access the most recent volume of the D99 Tech Tips by clicking here. Topics include:
- Chromebook Quick Fixes
- Students recording audio in Schoology
