Dear PRA Parents and Guardians,
We are approaching the time of year when we begin to academically and emotionally prepare our students and community for state standardized assessments. As our students participate in iReady testing and get prepared for their finals in the coming weeks, we thought it would be a good time to talk about the importance of testing for the entire community. PRA’s goal is to make testing a meaningful and purposeful experience for each and every student at PRA. A big part of this plan is to have your continued support by helping your students understand why test results are so important for all of us here at PRA.
Let’s start by pinpointing that PRA’s educational approach is driven by data. As a staff, we spend time reviewing and analyzing test results to gain understanding of what we are doing well and what we need to improve upon. In prior years, we have used iReady and CMAS results to drive our instruction by addressing the areas of need that were revealed by the test results. The only way we can continue to improve and ensure the validity of these results is if every student does their best when taking a diagnostic or standardized test.
Standardized and diagnostic test scores are also one of multiple factors used in differentiating student support levels to help close the gaps in achievement or to help accelerate students in their areas of strength.
In addition to data and support with student differentiation, high stakes testing is a significant factor in college admissions and an integral part of our academic culture. As such, we don’t want our students to wait until high school before they start taking tests seriously. On the contrary, now is the time for our students to put pressure on themselves to do well as “practice” for what is in store for them later in their educational and professional careers. If any of our students suffer from anxiety or poor test-taking habits, now is the time to discover ways we can support them and provide them tools to be successful. We have all read about how students across the country are entering the workforce unprepared for the challenges in front of them such as a job interview, a work deadline, or just the general stress that comes with professional work. Preparing and participating in testing benefits students by giving them the tools to overcome anxiety, build a growth mindset, and to put forth their best effort with confidence.
As a school, we use test results to aid in ensuring that our teachers are accountable for the quality of their instructional practice. Teacher accountability helps us grow as a rigorous academic community.
That leads to PRA pride! Our test scores are a direct reflection of Prospect Ridge Academy—the higher the scores, the higher our standing in the community. High-test scores bring with them recognition, funding, and affirmation of our commitment to academic success. Doing well on CMAS is a point of pride for our students, staff, and community, and helps us attract families who share our value of creating academic leaders.
Thank you in advance for your continued efforts in helping make PRA a great place for learning!
Steve Thygesen and Casey Baldwin
PS: For more information on the value of testing and why it is important for your student today and for their futures, please watch our 14-minute video on Testing Culture.
PPS: If you missed last week’s message on study habits, please view our video summarizing the book, Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning, to help you and your students become better lifelong learners.
Testing Culture Video Time Stamps
What is an Academically-Focused School
:46s Topics
1:29 Testing Culture
2:27 Fact and Benefits of Retrieval (Make it Stick)
4:43 Resilience
5:37 CMAS/SPF Data
6:25 Homework, the Benefits & How to help as a Parent
8:20 iReady: Nationally Normed Test
9:40 CMAS: Why CMAS?
11:46 Closing thoughts with Albert Einstein