Week of April 27th

We are in the final week of testing and your students are working so hard! I am proud of them and the effort they are putting into showing what they know. I am slowly getting ELA ISAT scores and they are looking good so far!

ELA:

In ELA this week we are going to continue working on our reading comprehension. It's like I tell the kids, just because testing is over doesn't mean that our learning is over! We still have a lot of learning to squeeze into the next few weeks!

Math:

This week we are focusing on reviewing for the math ISATs. Today we are taking the Math CAT (computer adaptive test) and we will be taking the PT (performance task) on Thursday. Please make sure your student is getting plenty of sleep this week. They really need it to have the stamina to get through these tests, they take a lot out of the kids. A good protein filled breakfast the morning of the tests is also an important thing! 

ISAT Party and Incentives:

One of the things I offer my students every year is the opportunity to earn an invitation to our class ISAT party after testing is over. They can earn an invitation one of two ways. 

1. One is to meet their goal that I made with them one-on-one and this is based on individual growth. 
2. The second way is to work really hard leading up to testing and doing their best on their test. If your student has missing assignments, this will keep them from the party. Please work with your student to stay up on their work.

As someone who deals with testing anxiety, I never want my students to work really hard and then feel bad because they didn't do well on the test because they were anxious. The learning is what matters and the ISAT is just ONE way we see that growth. I have several different other measures of growth I look at to ensure my students are growing each year. :)

Our school is offering an incentive for students by grade level. This is in ADDITION to my ISAT Party Incentive. These goals may be a little different than the goals I came up with when I met with each student because they are determined by the state. However, if my students meet the goal they set with me they should be ok to meet the school's goal as well. This incentive is a tiered incentive and will be determined by the percentage of 4th grade students who meet their goal. 

Tier 1: 75% - extra recess and ice cream sandwich

Tier 2: 85% - extra recess, pizza, bounce house

Tier 3: 95% -  field trip bowling or zoo & park Mrs. Burton decide

Science Fair Projects:

Your student should be working their way through the packet I sent home just before Spring Break. All the parts of that packet are parts they will need for their final project. I also sent home the rubric for the project so that they can use it to guide them when they are putting together their display boards. All of those documents are attached to the assignment in Infinite Campus if they got lost and you need to reprint them. I know sometimes I get "toss happy" at my house and accidentally throw things away sometimes so I try to link everything for you in Infinite Campus. :) Science projects are due on Tuesday, May 12th.