Dear Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade Parents:
I write this letter to inform you of two changes regarding the administration of the Milestones Assessment this spring. First, testing starts Tuesday, April 10th (this is a recent change). The testing schedule is as follows: 3rd and 4th- April 10th, 11th, 12th, 16th, 17th 5th- April 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 16th, 17th Secondly, the expectation from the state is that all students will take the test online in the spring of 2019. Cobb County has encouraged schools to increase their online participation this spring to prepare for next year’s online administration. Tritt has decided that all of our fourth grade students will complete this year’s Milestones online. We have chosen this grade level as they are comfortable with technology and will be better prepared and more confident to take the test next year as fifth graders. As we have had conversations with surrounding counties who have transitioned to the online administration we are pleased to report that they did not experience significant declines in student scores and student and teacher perceptions of the on-line administration were favorable. Fourth Grade parents please be assured that there’s plenty of time built in for the ELA portion of the test for inexperienced typers. The state is focused on quality answers to questions, NOT quantity of output. They are aware that students are not proficient at typing and take this into consideration upon grading. Please do not add additional stress to students about their typing prowess. Instead, focus their efforts on answering the question being asked with support. Students in fourth grade who receive specific testing accommodations as part of their Individual Education Plans (IEP) or 504 plan will take the assessment online and will receive all accommodations documented. Our teachers will begin to practice more online assessments with ALL students next fall so they are comfortable in making the transition next spring. In helping us to prepare to make the full transition, we encourage you to find time for your children to practice their keyboarding skills. I am including below a link for you to share with your children so that they may view and practice an online tutorial of the Milestone Assessment. Please realize that this tutorial is not intended for content practice but merely to expose students to the online format. http://www.gaexperienceonline.com/ For any questions related to testing or specifically Milestones, please contact Kendall Keesling at [email protected]. Sincerely, Kendall Keesling Assistant Principal Tests. Such an uncomfortable word. Traditional testing situations feel as though teachers are trying to "punish" students for not knowing the answers or "reward" those that do. This is not the case for twenty-first century schools. Tritt uses assessments to guide instruction, differentiate lessons, create flexible groups and improve teaching strategies. Therefore, students should NOT stress out about tests because the results are more about our teaching than your student's ability. All this to say, I agree. There are too many assessments, but results are highly helpful for continuing to make Tritt the best place to teach, lead and learn! To help you understand, I want to outline the assessments being administered currently and in the near future: Universal Screener (Reading Inventory and Math Inventory)- Administered a minimum of three times a year for reading and math instruction. See attached parent letter and explanation. The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) is a group-administered K-12 assessment intended to estimate students' learned reasoning and problem solving abilities through a battery of verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal test items. 1st and 3rd Wednesday, September 6th - Friday, September 8th IOWA is a norm-referenced, multiple choice test that measures student achievement compared to a national sample of students who took the same test at the same time of year under the same conditions. 3rd and 5th Monday, September 11th - Thursday, September 14th Welcome to a new year at Tritt Elementary, where our staff, parents andstudents are A Community of Engaged Learners as ONE TEAM! After a wonderfulsummer with my family traveling and lounging, I am ready to dive into the 2017- 2018 school year head first! I’m excited that Cobb County has simplified its focus to include intentional, data driven instruction and ensuring that Cobb is the BESTplace to teach, lead and learn. Based on these priorities, I plan to support theTritt staff instructionally as we implement our new writing/reading adoption, grow reflective students by shifting their Mindset focus, promote the “globalcommunity” by having students look outside of East Cobb and most importantly,HAVE FUN! The Tritt community is not only where I work, but the place I live andplay. Ensuring that Tritt IS the best place to teach, lead and learn, is what I worktowards daily! My door is always open and love a quick chat anytime. Let’s go Tig ers! |
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