"Hooray for ISAT!" Is this the cry of a principal gone mad? Perhaps. But, that is the topic for a different entry.
ISAT testing is the week of March 1-5, and there are plenty of negatives to stew about:
"The measure of a school is not one test."
"Filling in the circles doesn't REALLY measure what kids know."
"One bad morning labels a kid inaccurately."
"Why would anyone expect students with learning disabilities to perform at grade level on written tests?"
"Why would anyone expect English language learners to perform at grade level on written tests?"
"A whole school shouldn't fail because one subgroup does poorly."
And on and on...
Those objections and others are certainly valid to a degree. However, as a member of the GKMS learning community, they are meaningless to our goal. Helping students excel and contribute to their community is not about making excuses or finding reason why we can't do something.
Our students are performing at a high level in their classes every day accomplishing higher order thinking projects, collaborative assignments, solving difficult problems, using real world technology, and finding personal success outside the classroom. Data identifies areas for improvement on an individual basis, and interventions are put in place for that specific student. More and more instruction is differentiated challenging students to achieve at their highest level. Our kids, staff, and learning community are moving in a positive direction, and our students are benefiting from a quality education every day.
Parents can help by ensuring that students get a good night sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, and know you would like them to do their best.
So, yes, hooray for ISAT! While not the whole measure for our school, it is an excellent opportunity for our kids to do their their best and show what they know. I am looking forward to it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
As stressful as preparing for and taking ISATs tend to be, there is that wonderful feeling during the quiet moments when all the students are hunched over their tests deep in thought attempting to do their best that I reflect and feel extremely proud to have worked with the students of GKMS.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mr. Uili. As frustrated as we sometimes feel, our G-K students rise to the occasion and perform their best. It IS a great school.
ReplyDelete