It has been far too long since my last post and during that time, a lot has happened.
During the month of April and into May, students in grades 3-6 took their state MCA tests in reading, math, and science. Math and Reading MCA's are those results that also determine if a school has made their Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) when compared to themselves from the previous year. Last year, Sibley did not make their AYP target. This year, we continued our efforts in the area of reading with a further emphasis on reading strategies to assist all students with understanding text, both fiction and non-fiction. We also took time in the area of writing, which is an area that is sometimes overlooked in schools. Student writing, and their 'thinking through the end of pen," can be seen throughout the school and in various classrooms as student work is hanging proudly for others to see.
Let's face it, making sense of what we read and discuss by putting clarity to our thoughts through speaking and writing is not an easy task for many an adult. The research shows that applying reading strategies to all content areas and increasing the time spent writing create critical thinking necessary to succeed beyond school and later in life.
Schools feel a great sense of pressure to do well on their state's tests. Nobody is saying that we don't think about or want our scores to be better. I don't know any educator that would tell you otherwise. However, as we focus on being proficient, sometimes we are only concerned about that . . . being proficient. The schools responsibility is to the whole child. We should want our students to learn and excel at history, science, speaking, technology, reading, and math. By providing a wealth of experiences and high expectations in each, students at all levels excel rather than meet a proficiency target. As a school and district, we are excited about some of the changes underway to help us accomplish this . . . . stay tuned.
