Fall 2006 Newsletter

Fall 2006 Newsletter
OGCS Co-Director Team
Becky Cote: Educational Services
Janet Marsh: Education Specialist Support
Michael Talerico: PR and Program Development
Dear South Sutter Charter School Parents,
Our first exciting school year with South Sutter Charter School is already behind us.
For those of you that have just joined us in our second year of operation, we are pleased to
inform you that we have grown from just a handful of students to over 700 students. What
sets our charter school apart from other public schools is our commitment to parent choice.
Why are we such strong advocates for parent choice? Each of your school co-directors have
home schooled their own children. We know that every child is different, with unique interests,
abilities and learning needs. We believe that you, the parent, knows your child best! For this
reason, you are the best suited to make choices about your child’s education.
Last year, your Education Specialists worked with you to develop an individual learning
plan that helped cater to your child’s unique interests and learning style. We had over 90% of
our students participate in our STAR testing. Those of our students that participated in the
STAR testing received a free Marine World ticket. Many of you have responded back saying
how positive your Marine World experience was. We are planning another exciting reward this
year.
As a result of our students’ scores with the state mandated test, we get a school report
card each year. Our school score is reported in a range of 200-1000. Our California schools
are to reach a target of 800 by the year 2014. I am excited to tell you that our first year’s
API score was 613. We are very pleased with our initial report card. It is our goal each year to
improve that score to show that our student’s are making growth in their learning. It’s
important to note that our student’s scores were as good as they were largely due to the hard
work of you the parents and the professional over site of our Educational Specialists.
Let’s all work together with all facets of our school to help make this school year even
better than last year, with 100% participation. This means that we are always happy to receive
positive input from you to help improve your child’s education. As a parent of home schooled
children, I am here to tell you what rich rewards and possibilities lie ahead for your child with
all your faithful efforts.
Sincerely,
Becky Cote
Director of Educational Services
HALLOWEEN GOODY BAG
Here is what you need:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Half gallon milk carton
Brown, black, and yellow construction paper
Scissors
Halloween stickers
Clear tape
White glue
Yarn
Hole punch
Here is what you do:
1. Cut off the top off the milk carton just below the place where it starts to fold in to form the spout. You will need the
bottom part for the project. Cover the carton with yellow paper cut to fit, and tape it in place.
2. Cut a piece of brown paper to cover the yellow paper. Hold it in place
3.
4.
over the yellow paper and draw a front door and several windows. remove the brown paper and cut the door and
windows on three sides so that they open and shut. Tape the brown paper back in place over the yellow paper.
Cut nine long strands of yarn in one or more colors to make the handle. Punch two holes on opposite sides of the
carton and tie the strings through one of the holes. Braid the strands together to make a strong handle for your
treat carrier. Then knot the ends through the hole on the other side of the carton.
Open all your doors and windows and put a Halloween sticker inside each. Use a black marker to add details to
the outside of your house. You may even want to put a ghost sticker or two on the outside to give it that haunted
look. Cut a roof from the black paper to glue on the front of the house.
You can draw your own spooky ideas for Halloween characters in your house instead of using Halloween stickers.
__________________________________________________________
September 17th
Every year, Constitution Day is celebrated on September 17th. Constitution Day is a day that is dedicated
to engaging students in the civic and governmental affairs of our nation, with the hopes of increasing
students’ understanding of the democratic processes of our government. By encouraging an
understanding and appreciation for the United States Constitution, our students will become the
knowledgeable, active and engaged citizens that are so critical to sustaining our nation’s healthy
democracy.
The following resources below provide fun activities and informational resources that can assist you in
finding more information on Constitution Day.
At this website, you can obtain a
copy of the original Constitution,
U.S. National
the Bill of Rights, the Declaration
of Independence and even World
Archives
War II pictures. Simply click
on….
Click on “Constitution Day 2006”
www.crf-usa.org
in the upper right-hand corner to
Constitutional
find lesson plans and activities
Rights Foundation
that are appropriate for the grade
level you desire.
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/index.html This website contains information
on the election process, branches
U.S. Printing
of government, historical
documents and citizenship. You
Office
even will have Benjamin Franklin
to help you navigate the site.
After entering this website, click
www.civiced.org
on “Center for Civic Education
Center for Civic
Offers Resources for Constitution
Education
Day,” to find lesson plans for
your grade level.
www.archives.gov
www.constitutionday.us
Check out this website for a
variety of lesson plans and
activities. Conduct a search in the
upper right hand corner or click
on “classroom resources.”
National
Constitution
Center
______________________________________________________
August 2006
Joslin's East - West Karate
Martial arts instruction in Auburn.
Learning Express
Specializes in educational toys.
Bill Becker Music Studio
Piano lessons & music books in Fair Oaks.
FLAVR
Literacy program for kindergarten, using the Adventures of Ti and Mo, a complete
literacy kit, to teach reading and writing.
Orangevale Recreation & Park District
Parks & Recreational services offered in Orangevale.
At Home Science Inc.
Kits in Biology, Physics & Chemistry Lab
Allstars School of Driving
Behind The Wheel Training in Sacramento & Placer Counties.
Barron's Educational Series Inc.
Variety of educational books.
eTAP
Online CAHSEE prep service
Flashmaster LLC
Electronic hand-held Math aid
Interactive Solutions - Driver’s Ed.com
Online Drivers Ed.
Golfio Inc.
Golf equipment for beginners, children
Teacher Helper Store
Teaching materials for grades K-12
Science for Highschool
High School Biology and Chemistry texts/programs specifically designed to be used in
a homeschool environment.
Sierra Innovations Services
Support and Educational Services in Sacramento, grades 7-12: help with core subjects
& vocational education.
U.S. Institute of Languages
Visual Link® Speaking Method to learn Spanish using 2 CD-ROMs, interactive computer
Instruction, Vocabulary Exercises, Word Review Games, Oral Quizzes, Written/Type
Quizzes, Pronunciation Instruction, 10 Audio CDs - review what you've learned with
the computer lessons on a portable CD player or in your car.
National University Virtual High School
Online high school courses: English, Math, Science, Foreign Language, Social Science,
Physical Education, Fine Arts, Electives.
Aventa Learning
Online high school courses: Advanced Placement, Language Arts, Math, Science, Social
Studies, World Languages, Electives, Technology.
Vivace Music Studio
Band classes; voice lessons; & piano lessons in Elk Grove.
Zertuche's Mother Lode Driving School
Various Driver's Education & Driver's Training Programs: On-line Driver’s Education
course; Home Study Driver's Education course; Classroom Driver’s Education course
located in Sacramento County; Behind the Wheel Driver’s Training courses located in
Calaveras , Tulomne, Sacramento & Stanislaus Counties.
Cambridge University Press Order Fulflmt
Cambridge University Bookstore
Shiller Math
Montessori based math curriculum for students ages 4-12: research-based math
curriculum with music & manipulatives, beautifully designed lessons, diagnostic tests
& answer keys.
Southeast Kansas Education Service Center (Virtual Greenbush)
http://www.greenbush.org
on-line
Laurel Springs School
K-12 curriculum for home schooling
Ned’s Berkeley Bookstore
Textbooks/materials needed for students' classes at Vista Community College
The Education Center, Inc.
Subscriptions to Mailbox Bookbag Literacy Ideas for reading and writing strategies
with ideas and activities Grds 3-5
Noc Bay Trading Company
Native American Ed. Info & Art Supplies
__________________________________________
Developing Reading Fluency
For information on current research in the field of reading development, check out the Florida
Center for Reading Research website (http://www.fcrr.org). There is a wealth of information
available for you and your families to use as you work with students who may be having reading
difficulties.
Here are some common ideas about reading that have been recently researched and documented
by Joseph Torgesen concerning making improvement in reading fluency.
“The top 5 myths about interventions for struggling readers :
1. If a child is a “visual” learner, they should be taught to read using a visual, not an
auditory strategy.
2. If a child has not learned “phonics” by the end of 1st grade, they need to be taught to
read in some other way.
3. Children who struggle with phonemic awareness, vocabulary, or phonics in K and 1st grade
will frequently “catch up” if given time.
4. We should take guidance from theories of “multiple intelligences” or “learning styles” to
help us adapt our reading instruction for different children.
5. A little quality time with an enthusiastic volunteer tutor can solve most children’s reading
problems.
To Become a Fluent Reader:
1. To be a fluent reader, a child must be able to recognize most of the words in a passage
“by sight”.
2. Children must correctly pronounce words 5-10 times before they become “sight words”.
3. Children must make accurate first guesses when they encounter new words, or the
growth of their “sight word vocabulary” will be delayed—they will not become fluent
readers.
4. The most efficient way to make an “accurate first guess” of the identity of a new word
is: First, do phonemic analysis and try an approximate pronunciation. Then, close in on the
exact right word by selecting a word with the right sounds in it, that also makes sense in
the passage.
Implications for instruction:
1. Phonemic awareness should be stimulated early in development as one key to accurate
reading of words when they are first encountered in print.
2. The growth of phonemic awareness should be monitored to insure that it attains the full
phonemic level.
3. Letter representations of all 44 phonemes should be taught.
4. Young children should be encouraged and supported to do lots of reading-- there should
be lots of opportunities for guided oral reading (reading with feedback).
5. Text that is specifically written to provide extra practice opportunities for high-utility
“core vocabulary” words may be particularly efficient for building fluency through early
acquisition of high frequency words in sight vocabularies.”
The best way to teach reading according to the current research findings
is with one-on-one instruction or no more than 1 – 3. We are one step
ahead in this process as most of our parents do teach reading one-on-one
to our students. What may be lacking if our students encounter reading
difficulties, according to this study, is total mastery of the 44 phonemic
sounds from a good complete systematic phonics instruction program prior
to all other reading instruction.
The Center for Improvement of Early Reading Development offers a publication dated June
2003 free on the internet, “Put Reading First”
(http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/PFRbooklet.pdf) which summarizes in a
very readable, well-organized format the results from 100,000 current reading studies. The
publication analyzes reading studies in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency,
vocabulary, and comprehension, offers a concise definition of terms used in these areas, and
lists the key findings of the research studies. This is a good resource for our ESs and one that
can be easily shared with our parents on how students learn to read.
A reading program that was tested by research done at the Florida Center and shown to be
highly effective in developing reading fluency is Quick Reads, available from Modern Curriculum
Press (Pearson Learning is the school vendor). Take a look at the video on their website to learn
why it is effective, and if it is something you may want to provide to your students struggling
with reading fluency. ESs will need to work together to place orders for different levels of this
program, as the minimum order is for 6 copies of each level.
2006-07 SAT and ACT– College Entrance Exam Test Dates and Deadlines
Test
Test Date
Registration
Deadline
Late Registration
Deadline (Late Fee)
SAT Reasoning and Subject Tests
Oct 14
Sept 12
Sept 20
ACT (with optional writing)
Oct 28
Sept 22
Oct 6
SAT Reasoning and Subject Tests
including Language with Listening
(only date offered all year)
Nov 4
Sept 29
Oct 11
SAT Reasoning and Subject Tests
Dec 2
Nov 1
Nov 9
ACT (with optional writing)
Dec 9
Nov 3
Nov 16
SAT Reasoning and Subject Tests
Jan 27
Dec 20
Jan 4
ACT (with optional writing)
Feb 10
Jan 5
Jan 19
SAT Reasoning Test Only
March 10
Feb 2
Feb 14
ACT (with optional writing)
April 14
March 9
March 23
SAT Reasoning and Subject Tests
May 5
March 29
April 11
SAT Reasoning and Subject Tests
June 2
April 27
May 9
ACT (with optional writing)
June 9
May 4
May 18
ACT Fees-Basic Registration Fee $29 (with optional writing add $14)
SAT Fees – SAT Reasoning $41.50; SAT Subject Tests are $18 for basic
registration plus $8 per subject
(Language tests with listening are $19)
To Register:
SAT – www.collegeboard.com
ACT – www.act.org
School Code: 0109793
It’s always fun to sip some coffee
and surf the internet! Here are some locations
in your area that are now offering free WiFi!
Folsom
It’s a Grind Coffee House
2770 East Bidwell St. #700
(916 )983-6290
My Brother Vinny’s
Italian Restaurant
718 Sutter St., Suite 200
Bidwell Street Bistro
Hoppy Brewing Company
1004 East Bidwell St., Suite 100
(916) 984-7500
6300 Folsom Blvd.
(916) 451-4677
Ciro’s Pizza Café
Infusion Café
241 Blue Ravine Rd. #100
(916) 983-5757
It’s a Grind Coffee House
Old Town Folsom
2731 Del Paso Rd., Suite 100
(916) 675-1068
15th and K Street
718 Sutter St., Suite 108
Java Joint Coffee Etc.
3104 Arden Way
Fair Oaks
Players Sports Bar
N Street Café
4060 Sunrise Blvd.
2022 N Street
(916) 491-4008
Bistro Coffee
4408 San Juan Ave.
Plaza Five Fifty Five
Rancho Cordova
555 Capitol Mall
(WiFi in lobby, outside area, parking garage and
public spaces)
Best Western
11269 Point East Drive
Sacramento
Butch-n-Nellies Coffee Co.
1827 I Street
(916) 443-6133
Capitol Garage Café
1500 K Street
(916) 444-3633
Cup-a-Joe
16th and P St.
Crepeville
18th and L Street
Espresso Metro Café
3900 Freeport Blvd.
GigaBite Café
2427 Marconi Ave., #101
(916) 488-1200
Groundworks Coffeehouse
9933 Business Park Drive
(916) 361-2235
Sacramento Brewing Company
Town and Country Village
Fulton and Marconi
Sacramento Pipeworks
116 N. 16th Street
(916) 341-0100
Sacramento Public Library
828 I Street
(916) 264-2920
Tupelo Coffeehouse and
Roasting Company
5700 Elvas Ave.
(916) 454-3977
Doubletree Hotel
(lobby area)
2001 Point West Way
(916) 929-8855
Inn Off Capitol Park
(public access areas)
1530 N Street
Capitol Center Travelodge
(916) 444-8880
1111 H Street
…………………
From the Directors
Enrollment Exceeds 200,000 in California Charter Schools
Section: STATE CAPITALS: NEWS IN BRIEF
California's charter school enrollment grew by nearly 20 percent this fall, to
more than 200,000 students, while 84 new schools opened their doors, the California Charter
Schools Association announced this month.
The new enrollment of 32,000 was about evenly split
between new charter schools and the expansion of existing ones. The
group says that about 5 percent of California public schools are charter
schools.
"Charter schools are growing as fast as they are for one
simple reason: They are working," said Caprice Young, who heads the
association.
In all, the group says, California has 574 of the publicly financed but largely
independent schools, serving more than 212,000 students, well above the figures in both
categories for other states.
For the 2004-05 school year, California's total student enrollment was 6.3
million. The state has more than 9,000 public Schools.
~~~~~~~~
By Erik W. Robelen
Every child's birth-gifts equip him to fulfill his greatness. To the observant
his greatness will be apparent early on.
There is no need to alter him; instead he needs
to be guided, coached
and encouraged.
This is a press release sent out with information about a new database of
primary sources from the University of California. It should be a great
resource for students.
Gregg Buie
Guidance Counselor
Cupertino High School
10100 Finch Avenue
Cupertino, CA 95014
408.366.7328 (ph)
408.255.8466 (fax)
SCHOOLS CHIEF JACK O'CONNELL JOINS UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA TO LAUNCH NEW WEB SITE LINKING
THOUSANDS OF HISTORICAL SOURCES
SACRAMENTO - State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today joined officials
from the University of California to announce the launch of the Calisphere Web site at
www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu ( http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/ ).
This free Web site offers educators, students, and the general public access to more than 150,000 digitized
primary sources from the libraries and museums of the UC campuses and cultural heritage organizations
across California.
"We know that learning is more exciting and teaching is more effective the closer a student gets to
primary sources of information," O'Connell said. "The Calisphere Web site is a remarkable learning tool
that will provide students with a rich experience of California's multicultural heritage. It puts the
libraries and museums of the entire University of California system, along with rich historical resources
from cultural heritage organizations, right at the fingertips of our students." Calisphere makes it easy
for educators to find images and documents aligned with the K-12 California Content Standards. These
primary sources can be used by teachers in a variety of ways. A high school history teacher could quickly
locate photos of the Black Panthers, UC Berkeley's Free Speech Movement, or the Chicano Moratorium
Committee to illustrate the social and political movements of the 1960s and 1970s. Or, a library media
teacher could help a fourth-grade student find photographs and drawings of ethnicallydiverse miners
and everyday people during the Gold Rush to demonstrate California's early multicultural population.
"Calisphere embodies the University's ongoing commitment to enriching the cultural lives of all
Californians, and to enhancing lifelong educational opportunities," said Wyatt R. Hume, UC executive
vice president and provost. "Its innovative approach emphasizing technology, unbounded access to
educational and cultural resources, and partnerships with educators is a model for the future. In
Calisphere, we see how the University can bring education to students wherever they are, whatever their
needs, and whatever phase of life they are in."
Calisphere's primary source materials, including photographs, documents, newspapers, political
cartoons, works of art, diaries, transcribed oral histories, advertising, and other unique cultural artifacts,
reveal the diverse history and culture of California and its role in national and world history. The site
also provides a single entry point to more than 300 UC-created Web sites on a wide variety of subjects.
Images in Historical Context Calisphere's primary source sets also include overviews for historical
context. The Web site's special features include:
Themed Collections: Primary source materials are organized into historical eras, from the Gold Rush
to the 1970s,and aligned with California Content Standards for K-12 use.
CaliforniaCultures: California's multicultural heritage is revealed through photographs and
documents selected from UC's libraries and special collections relating to African, Asian, Hispanic, and
Native Americans.
The collection also features teacher-created lesson plans. California Cultures was funded through
an appropriation from the US Congress through the Library of Congress American Memory program.
Japanese American Relocation Digital Archives: More than 10,000 personal and official images and
documents bring educators inside the story of Japanese-American internment during World War II.
Calisphere is a public service project of the California Digital Library (CDL) (www.cdlib.org (
http://www.cdlib.org/ )). Through the use of technology and innovation, the CDL supports the
assembly and creative use of scholarship for the UC libraries and the communities they serve.
For more information, contact:
Rosalie Lack
California Digital Library
(510) 987-0414
[email protected].
Barbara Jeffus
School Library Consultant
California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Suite 3207
Sacramento, CA 95814
PHONE: 916-319-0445
FAX: 916-319-0172
[email protected]
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/lb/
Check out this article on education and pass this around to everyone you know. Go to the
website at http://www.parentdrivenschools.com and sign up for the newsletter. This is a great
resource for parents.
Parent Power: Fueling the Education Revolution
-Randy Gaschler
How many parents does it take to match the power and influence
of a roomful of Ph.D.’s on a child’s education?
Just one. But this parent must be passionate, informed, and prepared to allow for a different way of
learning for their child.
Researchers have continually found that parents have an extremely positive impact on the
quality of their child’s education. This is why the parent should be more powerful. The parent is
the one that cares most about and bears the responsibility of their child’s education. Other than
the child himself, the parent has the most to gain or lose. Unfortunately, in many critical areas of
their child’s education, they don’t have as much power as they should have.
Everyone has a different opinion about how the child’s education should proceed. Every teacher
in every classroom thinks a little be differently about how children should learn, while researchers
and administrators have their own opinions. While I sincerely believe most teachers do have a kid’s
best interests in mind, quite often their hands are tied by the standardized testing and core curricula
they must teach that’s handed-down to them by distant bureaucrats in Sacramento and Washington
DC. While you and your child’s teacher will work with your son or daughter every day, it’s a good
chance that these wonks have never set foot in your child’s classroom. These are the people who
think standardized testing is a good idea…the “one-size-fits-all” crowd.
Fortunately, human beings aren’t wired like that. Every child is unique. Every child thinks and
learns and processes information differently. Some kids are visual, some aural. Some kids grasp
abstractions earlier than others, while some need more tactile methods to stimulate learning. The
current system of public education doesn’t allow for this flexibility. In fact, public education rigidly
adheres to a set of standards geared toward one aim: achieve certain levels of performance on
State-sanctioned standardized tests.
In this system, parents are given very little to say with regard to the quality of their child’s
education. Other than showing up to parent-teacher conferences and helping their 7th-grader
with her pre-algebra homework, they’ve basically signed-away their responsibility and influence,
giving it over to the system.
Does this sound appealing, especially if you have one of those kids who might have a different
way of learning?
Success requires a team effort.
I think most parents have fallen prey to a snow-job that they can’t be trusted with their child’s
education. That, if left in their hands, their children will bomb-out, drop-out and will have a career
collecting hairnets and name plates from fast-food restaurants.
I am not saying that we parents have all the answers and know exactly the right techniques
and curriculum to use to best educate our children. Education, at its most effective, is a team effort.
Parents must share with teachers all they know about how their child learns. Teachers must consult
with counselors, education experts, and other outside resources to create a curriculum that best
suits their students.
When I advocate parental control of schools, I am not saying that parents should run the show
from top to bottom. Teachers, teacher unions, school boards, administrators, and state-level
officials have significant roles. There is a tremendous amount of wisdom inherent in all these levels
of education, and we must create an environment where this wisdom can be shared easily without
power struggles. That can be done if the ultimate power – the ultimate accountability – is in the
hands of the parents.
Coming soon…a live interview with Randy Gaschler discussing the impact of standardized
testing in America today. Sign up for the newsletter to receive the latest information in the
fight to revolutionize education. http://www.Parentdrivenschools.com
September 2006
Dear Parents and Guardians:
Re: 2007 School Wide Required Assessments
Welcome to the 2006-07 School Year! Assessments required for 2007 include
the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), Standardized Testing and
Reporting (STAR) Program, Physical Fitness Test (PFT) and Scantron. We have
included information below on each of these different assessments.
What is CAHSEE
All California public school students are required by state law to satisfy the
California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) requirement, as well as all
other state and local requirements, in order to receive a high school diploma. All
10th grade students, including English learners and students with disabilities,
must take the CAHSEE for the first time in winter of their 10th grade year.
Students who do not pass the exam in tenth grade will have additional
opportunities in grades eleven (2 attempts possible) and twelve (3 attempts
possible) to retake the part(s) not passed.
What the CAHSEE Covers
The exam is divided into two parts: (1) English-language arts (reading and writing)
and (2) mathematics. All questions are aligned to California academic content
standards that are adopted by the State Board of Education. Academic content
standards describe what students should know and be able to do at each grade
level from kindergarten through grade twelve. To help prepare, you can download
the CAHSEE Exam Blueprints and Released Test Questions (a previous year’s
questions) located on the Internet at
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs/resources.asp.
Requirements for Passing the CAHSEE
CAHSEE scores range from 250 to 250. Students must earn a score of 250 or
higher on each part of the CAHSEE (English-language arts and mathematics) to
pass the exam.
Testing Locations
Students will be assigned their specific test site according to a geographical
region (please communicate with your ES regarding any issues surrounding test
sites). ESs will meet with families to explain test site locations and times. Test
site locations are posted throughout the year fro upcoming tests on our
assessment webpage at:
http://www.ieminc.org/Assessment/index.htm .
*Students must bring a photo ID to the test site.
2006-07 CAHSEE Testing Dates
English/Language Arts Math
Administered to:
October 3, 2006
October 4, 2006
Grades 11 and 12 only
February 6, 2007
February 7, 2007
May 8, 2007
May 9, 2007
Grades 10-Required
session
Grades 11 and 12
Grades 11 and 12
Grade 10-Makeups Only
STAR Testing
STAR refers to the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program. STAR is a
California state-mandated, standardized test established in 1997 that requires all
2-11 grade students in public school districts in California (including charter
schools) to be tested annually.
Tests used in the STAR Program
The STAR test consists of three components: An achievement test chosen yearly
by the state, the California Content Standard Test (CST), and the California
Writing Standards Test (for grades 4 and 7 only).
STAR Program Resources
Parents can go to the Internet and download STAR Blueprints, Released Test
Questions (from earlier test) and 4th and 7th Grade Writing Test Teacher Guides
at the link:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/resources.asp .
STAR Testing Dates and Locations
Test site locations are posted throughout the year for upcoming tests on our
assessment webpage at: http://www.ieminc.org/Assessment/index.htm
This is a state-mandated test to be administered only to
5 , 7 , & 9th grade students, annually, in California public
schools, including charter schools. At IEM Schools, this test is
given in conjunction with STAR testing. Check your specific
STAR test site schedule for dates and times. The estimated
time for finishing this test is an hour and a half.
th
th
The following exercises are assessed in the PFT:
1) one mile run/walk (if student cannot run total distance, walking is
permitted).
2) Height and weight documented (data is put into a formula to determine body
fat percentage).
3) Curl-up
4) Trunk lift
5) Push-up
6) Shoulder stretch
As required by our school charter, Scantron is a mandatory
test for students 2nd through 12th grade.
What is the Scantron
Scantron’s PERFORMANCE Series utilizes an innovative computer-adaptive,
Internet based model to target the instructional level of each student by altering
question difficulty based on previous answers. Once the test has been completed,
the results are immediately available providing an accurate evaluation of the
student’s abilities – in approximately 20 minutes. PERFORMANCE Series will help
teachers place students at the appropriate instructional levels (target grades 212). Educators can use this product to evaluate skill mastery, place incoming
students, and provide immediate reports to parents and tutors on progress made
as the course proceeds. The advantage of the Scantron assessment solution over
traditional assessments, such as STAR, is that it measures actual growth of each
student over time.
Subject Areas Scantron Covers
Content areas that are available are Reading, Math, and Language Arts.
Scantron Testing Dates
New incoming students need to complete Scantron testing in the first 20 school
days. Returning student will retest each year during the school testing window
listed on the school calendar.
We are so excited about this new school year! We had a great response last
year from our students with regards to all our required tests, and had good school
API scores! This year should be an even better year than last year. It is
important for you to be able to take a bird’s eye view at the beginning of this year
to see what is expected of your students as far as testing is concerned. Thank
you so much in advance for your continued support of your school in meeting our
mandated assessment requirements!
Your Partners in Education,
The Co-Director Team