There are a lot of things in life that we have to do that we
may not necessarily love to do or even like to do whether it is at work, at
school, at home or in our lives in general. Think paperwork. Think washing the dishes. Think going to the gym. Insert whatever that "thing" is for you. But even the things we don't necessarily
like to do all have a purpose. In those instances where we have to do the thing that we don't openly embrace, the message that we should give and model for our kids as
parents is that whether you like it or not, show up and do your best. Whatever it is, that is the expectation. We expect you to show up and bring it. That's life. Over the next two months
our students will be taking part in the New York State Assessments in both ELA
and Mathematics. The NYS Assessments are something that not everyone necessarily loves to do, but they have a purpose and play an important part in what we do as a school. This is the letter that we sent home to all of our WGMS families in regards to the assessments:
"West Genesee Middle School students will be participating in the New York State English Language Arts Assessment April 11th and April 12th and the New York State Mathematics Assessment May 1st and May 2nd. These assessments measure the learning standards around which our teachers design and deliver their daily instruction. Our teachers routinely revise and refine this instruction to make it the most rigorous and relevant experience for our students. Because of this, we have no need to engage in test preparation or practice tests. Our children are completely prepared to take these assessments because our curriculum is in alignment with the standards the tests measure.
I know that
some of you may have some reservations about encouraging your child to take the
assessments. Your concerns, together with those of educators, have been
influential in changing some important aspects of the assessments. Here are
some of the positive changes for this year’s testing cycle:
- 2 days instead of 3 days
- Untimed testing – students may have as much time as
they need
- All questions have been written and reviewed by New
York State teachers
- Student scores are not part of the evaluation score
for teachers or administrators
From our
perspective, the New York State Assessments are a valuable tool that help us
know how effectively our curriculum is aligning to the standards. Since
students from across the state take the assessments, the results provide a
window into how we compare with similar schools and where we can make
improvements. As we do in
other aspects of our children’s lives, we should encourage them to participate,
encourage them to do their best, and celebrate their tremendous effort.
I am
encouraging you to support the message we are giving your children here at
school; this is your opportunity to demonstrate what you have learned and how
you have grown as a student. We ask them to simply do their best.
I am so proud
of how hard our students work, and I appreciate all of your support at home for our students and staff. As always, if you have any questions or concerns please give me a call or send me an email."
Continued
Success,
Stephen R.
Dunham
sdunham@westgenesee.org
Twitter: @Sdunhamwgms
sdunham@westgenesee.org
Twitter: @Sdunhamwgms
