CHOICES

Happy Easter and welcome back from Spring Break! April is going to be a busy month!

The Iowa Test Of Basic Skills will begin on Monday, April 19th and end on Monday, April 26th. Grades 1 - 8 will be participating in the test. It is very important that as parents, you do whatever you can to make sure your children are present during the days of testing. The test is taken over a 5 day period for grades 1-2 and is untimed. Grades 3-6 will test over a 6 day period. They will not test more than 90 minutes per day. Students in grades 7-8 will not test more than 2 hours and 15 minutes per day. Their test will be completed over a three day period.

Testing will begin by 8:15 each morning. Once testing has begun, no child will be admitted into the classroom. Students arriving late will report to the office.
Tuesday the 27th and Wednesday 28th will be the only days available for make-ups.

The Iowa Test is NOT an end of grade test.
We choose to give this test in the spring to get feedback on our students progress. We would like to have parents receive results before summer vacation. It is important your children do their very best, but keep in mind it is an achievement test. It will not determine if they pass on to the next grade. Giving standardized tests is the schools' way of seeing what their students know in comparison with other students in the same grade around the country. These tests also help teachers measure what students have learned and realize any weaknesses that may exist.

Being confident in themselves is a great way for your children to be successful during the test!

Although our school year is winding down and summer vacation is in sight, we need to remind the students to continue to work hard. They must be encouraged to remain focused on the end goal ( which is having a successful school year and being prepared for next year) and keep consistant attention to the quality of their work.

We have continued discussions this month on making good choices, self-confidence,
teasing, bullying, and focusing on the positive. We have talked about stress. What it is, how our bodies react to it, and ways to stress less. We will review this again this month to try to aleviate as much test anxiety as possible.

REMEMBER APRIL 22ND IS EARTH DAY!

Be kind to the earth and all living things! Especially each other!

Please contact me at 736-1045 ext. 227 if I can be of any assistance to you, or if you have any questions regarding the Iowa Test.

Jill Williams

Here is a good website parents!

www.charliefrench.com/test_tips.htm