Hello Marvista Families!
We hope that you’ve started finding a rhythm with our school schedule this year. We know that there have been weekly, and sometimes even daily, adjustments being made, and we greatly appreciate your flexibility and understanding. Thank you for being patient with our school team as we continue to strengthen our systems to increase our safety here at school.
This week’s update revolves around testing!
SBA (Smarter Balance Assessments):
- 4th and 5th graders
- ELA & Math
- Marvista Testing Window:
- October 19th & 20th for ELA
- October 26th & 27th for Math
iReady:
- 1st-5th graders
- Marvista Testing Window:
- September 14th-October 15th
- Deadline was originally October 8th, but due to the network issues this week, the district has extended the testing window
- September 14th-October 15th
Screening for Highly Capable:
- All 2nd & 3rd graders
- Selected 4th & 5th graders
- Marvista Testing Window:
- October 4th-October 22nd
Why do we do the testing? And how will it help us?
We all recognize that we have been out of our “typical school rhythm” for almost 19 months. The state’s goal is not to check how far ahead or behind your child is while increasing their tension and anxiety. These assessments are designed to monitor student learning and to help our classroom teaching teams make informed decisions on what to teach our students next. Additionally, they help us strategize methods that will allow us to modify our teaching to fit each student’s individual needs. By meeting each student where they are at, we can provide multi-tiered services and supports to help enrich the learning experience of each child, holding true to our promise of learning each student by name, strength, and need.
To reduce anxiety to help produce positive results, we always seek to encourage our students to utilize these assessments as opportunities for them to show us what they know so we can know how to better reach and teach them. Progression is what we strive for, not perfection. Shifting our focus to a growth mindset will help encourage students to become more engaged in their present moments, increasing how they perform in their daily activities. Your children, our students, are extremely dedicated workers who are beyond capable of displaying their knowledge. We believe in them! We believe in YOU! We believe in our team!
Though we may still be overcoming some challenges while navigating these COVID waters, we are grateful to serve our school community. Thank you for your patience, persistence, and understanding!
How to Help Your Child Prepare for the Testing Session:
- Please ensure that your child is well-rested the night before, and make sure that your child eats a delicious, nutritious breakfast the morning of.
- Gather clothes the night before and plan to leave for school a little earlier than usual to help avoid any last-minute rushing the morning of testing. Testing will start at the beginning of the school day, and it is crucial that students arrive to school on time.
- Encourage them to do their best. Knowing the concepts is important, and remaining calm, confident, and collected will increase their own confidence while reducing any stress or anxiety.
- Provide them with a healthy snack that will energize and help provide focus on their testing days. Some snacks to consider are pretzels, string cheese, and dried fruit to name a few.
- Do your best to avoid scheduling early pick-ups, as well as any doctor, dentist, or other appointments during these test days.
For any additional information, please refer to the district website:
Thank you for your time, take care, and enjoy the weekend!
Wayne Hoskins
Assistant Principal
Marvista Elementary School
wayne.hoskins@highlineschools.org