The Principal's Scoop

We have made it to May! We are currently in quarter four, the final quarter of the school year. As a reminder, this month, there will be no school for students on May 29th. 

Last month, I posed a challenge for our building and asked for assistance in helping us increase our average daily attendance rate to 91%. Unfortunately, we did not meet our goal, as our average attendance for the month of April was 85%.  While we did not reach our target, we once again improved our attendance from the prior month, with 3rd grade leading the way at over 87%.  Let’s try to improve it even more in May!   

This month, students will be taking their New York State Math tests starting on May 2nd. This year is the first year of next generation testing, so I wanted to share some information about the new format and content of the test. The test will focus entirely on the Math learning standards for each grade.

First, all students in grades 3-5 will participate in New York State testing and receive a scaled score. Please review the table below from New York State to understand the meaning of each level.

The test will consist of two sessions that are given over two days and will measure the eight Standards for Mathematical Practice. Students will be assessed using a mixture of 1 point multiple choice questions, as well as constructed response questions ranging from 1-3 points. I have included the tables from New York State with the overall design of each test, as well as the areas of focus, for each grade level, below. Please note that these focus areas do not include every standard and topic that students were instructed on this year- it simply outlines some of the major concepts for each grade.

Students have been working hard in school to prepare for this exam. The New York State tests provide a rich amount of data that the school uses to develop an instructional plan that meets the needs of individual students. Please talk to your child and share some of the information included in this note so they know what to expect the day of the test. 

Attendance goal for next month is to increase average daily attendance to 95%!

 New York State Definitions of Performance Levels: 

NYS Level 1: Students performing at this level are well below proficient in standards for their grade. They demonstrate limited knowledge, skills, and practices embodied by the New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for Mathematics that are considered insufficient for the expectations at this grade. 

NYS Level 2: Students performing at this level are partially proficient in standards for their grade. They demonstrate knowledge, skills, and practices embodied by the New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for Mathematics that are considered partial but insufficient for the expectations at this grade. Students performing at Level 2 are considered on track to meet current New York high school graduation requirements but are not yet proficient on Common Core Learning Standards at this grade. 

NYS Level 3: Students performing at this level are proficient in standards for their grade. They demonstrate knowledge, skills, and practices embodied by the New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for Mathematics that are considered sufficient for the expectations at this grade. 

NYS Level 4: Students performing at this level excel in standards for their grade. They demonstrate knowledge, skills, and practices embodied by the New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for Mathematics that are considered more than sufficient for the expectations at this grade.

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