Stop and Look!
4/27/2018
In third grade, students are taught that as writers, they could change the world not just by looking at what's broken, but also by looking at what's beautiful. Writers write to get others to pay attention to noteworthy people that they might otherwise walk right past. In writer's workshop, third graders wrote a persuasive speech about a noteworthy person whom they thought deserves more attention and recognition. Writing can be a powerful tool to change the world. Third graders at PNA are now able to look at what's there in the world and see not what's broken, but what's beautiful. And seeing beauty, celebrating beauty, makes the world a better place.
Ishi
4/13/2018
Before the school year started, parents were asked to write their hopes and dreams on a rock. These rocks were on display as a focal point in the classroom. Now, that it is almost the end of the year, parents were handed back this rock and were asked to reflect on the school year with their child. Have their reached their goals? What did they like most about third third? What could have been changed? What are they most proud of? Reflection writing has been a consistent part of learning in third grade that students were able to reflect on their year without a lot of help from parents. ERB FAQs
4/6/2018
1. What is ERB? ERB stands for Educational Records Bureau. It is a nonprofit organization that provides achievement and admissions assessments for PreK to 12th Grade. 2. Who uses ERBs? More than 2,300 independent, public and parochial schools and districts around the U.S. and world use ERB student assessment and instructional programs and entrance exams to improve learning and enhance teaching. 3. What specific test do 3rd graders take? Third grade takes CPT (Comprehensive Testing Program), a rigorous assessment for high achieving students in areas such as reading, listening, vocabulary, writing, and mathematics. Verbal and quantitative reasoning subtests are part of the CTP as well. This is a transition year for third grade as they move from 2nd grade's untimed to 3rd grade's timed test. 4. What is the purpose of CTP? The CTP helps compare content specific, curriculum-based performance to the more conceptual knowledge base found in reasoning tests. 5. How is ERB different from PEAKS or other state-mandated tests? The purpose of CTP is to assess student growth and performance at the time of testing. This enables the school to identify strengths and weaknesses at an individual and group level. CTP is considered a “low stakes” assessment, intended to help teachers and administrators make decisions about curriculum and classroom instruction. 6. What kind of information can PNA expect from testing? CTP score reports provide robust information on the student, class, and school level to help inform teaching and learning. Comparative information to national, suburban public, and independent school norm groups are available. Reports such as the Individual Student Report, Class Roster, and Administrator’s Summary reports help administrators and teachers identify students’ strengths and weaknesses. Parent reports are are also available. 7. What is the benefit of taking ERBs? Standardized tests have a bad reputation but PNA does not teach to the test. We do not drop everything and take a month to prepare for the big test. Teachers' jobs do not rely on tests. Student promotion does not rely on these tests either. But, at PNA, we are committed to educate students to be exceptional learners. Whether we like it or not, whether we agree or not, people today are required to take more tests throughout their school and career lives than ever before. It is important to learn the skills and strategies that will enable students to handle all types of tests. Testing may go away in the future, but for the mean time, will it hurt to equip students with study and testing skills? If you look at college applications, students are required to submit their SAT or ACT scores. Scholarships are not always based on GPA, they are now mostly based on SAT or ACT scores, and the fact of life is, they are tests. At PNA, we want students to realize that tests don't have to be stressful. It is something we do together, as a school, in a safe and calm environment. Then, when they leave PNA and get ready for college, they know they shouldn't be worried or anxious, it is just like ERBs where they get to show off what they know and can do. PNA is proud of our students for completing ERBs this week. To celebrate their hard work, second, third and fourth grade students ended the week with a movie and some popcorn. |
Jessica GrahamMs. Graham graduated from the University of Alabama with a BS in Early Childhood/Elementary Education, and is currently working on her master's in reading. She enjoys hiking, traveling, arts & crafts, and playing the ukulele. Archives
April 2021
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