MAP Testing

Our K-5 Students will be taking an online assessment this year called MAP. Students in K-5 will take a MAP math assessments and 2-5 will take a MAP reading comprehension assessment. The MAP testing takes the place of DistrictAssessments  and SRI/SMI testing and is administered in the fall,winter and spring. 

The Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)are electronically administered achievement tests designed to measure growth in student learning for individual students. The tests provide accurate and immediate scores to help teachers plan instructionally. 

 MAP is a computerized adaptive testing system that tailors tests to a student’s achievement level. Each student takes a test that is developed for him or her as the test is being administered. The program instantly analyzes the student’s response to each test question and, based on how well the student has answered all previous questions, selects a question of appropriate difficulty to display next. The MAP assessments are aligned to the IowaCore Standards.

Each testing setting lasts from 60-75 minutes but students can have has much time as needed to complete the assessment. 

Although Measures of Academic Progress has been around for years and used in districts across the nation, MAP is new for Des Moines Public Schools. Teachers and administrators are learning how to read the data, set goals for student and our school and make instructional decisions based on this data. Scores will be shared with parents during conference season. 

FAST Assessments

Formative Assessment System for Teachers (FAST) - is a series of  assessment tools designed for universal screening, progress monitoring, and program evaluation Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) model of service delivery.  Iowa adopted the FAST literacy assessments to assist districts in the implementation of MTSS practices and in meeting the requirements of the Early Literacy Initiative as part of Iowa Code Section 279.68. 

FAST Assessments that are  currently used include: CBM Reading (Spring 1st - 3rd Oral Reading fluency) and early Reading (K-1 – Concepts of Print, Onset Sounds, Letter Names, Letter Sounds, Word Segmenting, Sight Words, Nonsense Words and Sentence Reading). The assessments are done one on one with students and teachers record data on the Iowa Tier web based system. 

The MTSS process depends on a balanced assessment system of valid and reliable universal screening and progress monitoring measures.  Students at Hanawalt participate in universal screening three times a year (fall,winter,spring). These screeners enables us to identify which students are on track to reach end of year goals  and which students may be at risk.  This practice aides us in identifying potential at-risk students as early as possible so interventions can be put in place. It also gives us data to use when identifying students that need acceleration or enrichment to meet our growth goals, as well as helping us evaluate the effectiveness of our core instruction.  The progress monitoring measures enable teachers to collect data more frequently on at-risk students in order to make decisions regarding the effectiveness of the targeted/intensive instruction.

You are welcome to contact me or your child's teacher if you would like to see examples of Fast Assessments or want to see your child's data. We are currently conducting the Fall universal screening and should have it completed by the end of next week. 

 Additional information regarding Iowa TIER and FAST, as well as Iowa Code Section 279.68 (Early Literacy Initiative), can be found on the Iowa Department of Education website.

Next Blog post: MAP assessment a new frontier! 

Learning Spaces

                      

Many of you have noticed or will notice some changes in our classrooms at Hanawalt. One of the areas teachers are trying out is flexible seating in the classroom. In the educational world this is a hot topic. This effort aligns with our overall focus of student centered classrooms. In a world that runs on constant collaboration, creativity and problem solving our classrooms must reflect the real world decisions and opportunities we want students to navigate in the future. . As the world changes so should our classroom design.  The idea behind the movement is that classrooms design offers choice, spaces for independent, partner and group work. Research shows that students learn better when given choice. We want  students to have a say in how the classroom is designed and  how the learning happens. I've included some posts and articles about classroom design in case you want to learn more about it. The PTA has been generous in donating some items for teacher that are experimenting with their set up. I hope you will support teachers at Hanawalt that are stepping outside the norm and sometimes their comfort zone to make 21st Century Learning come alive for students.

flexible-seating-student-centered-classroom-

Flexible Seating

Creating a Student Centered Classroom

Flexible Seating is just one of our steps towards Student Centered Classrooms. We are using the following rubric this year as we work to offer students the opportunity to lead in their choices for their learning. Teacher want to move across the rubric going from Teacher Centered Classrooms to Student Centered Classrooms with Rigor.

As we grow and change we are excited about the opportunities to live our Mission this school year. Ask your child about their day, what leadership opportunities did they have, what is the seating plan in their classroom, what choices did they make in their learning, how they feel they learn best? Education is not something we do to our students, it is something we do together with our students.

#hanawaltcares

 

Kelly L. Schofield

Principal

#inspirechange

Drake Relays

We had 6 students representing us at the Drake Relays on Friday, April 29th. Thank you Mr. Baker for organizing this amazing opportunity for students. Also thanks to the teachers who volunteered to do time trials and the parents who brought students to the event. It was my first relay but not my last . 

Super Hero Day

What a great day to celebrate putting first things first. We work hard and play hard. Students worked across the school to earn 600 shout outs. That goal was reached in time for Friday's event. 

The teachers and students spent the day having fun around a super hero theme. We all got a chance to reflect on our own super powers and realize we all have the power to make good choices and gifts that make us special. 

The Importance of The Arts

"A broad education in the arts helps give children a better understanding of their world…

We need students who are culturally literate as well as math and science literate."

–Paul Ostergard, Vice President, Citicorp

Friday's A Day In The Arts was a wonderful example of how important the Arts are in the development of students. I want to thank Ms Inhen, Ms Marek, Mr. and Mrs. Tempero, and the many artists and volunteers that gave their time so that we could celebrate the importance of the Arts in educating our students. It was an amazing day with an amazing message.
 I am a proponent of arts programs in the schools. I cannot imagine a school without the language of the arts, without this avenue provided to students to express themselves and  learn through art, music, dance, and theatre.  For some students art is the access point to other content areas. 
During Friday's event we witnessed students expressing their self worth through poetry, music, painting, engineering, drawing, story telling, designing and song. Our students were learning  with science, math, art, music,literacy, movement, social and emotional sciences and more. I think we can all agree that it was exciting and inspiring.  It is my hope that this excitement and inspiration will continue.  Let's continue to explore ways to bring more opportunities for arts integration.  Arts integration demands creativity, problem-solving, perseverance, collaboration and the ability to work through the rigorous demands of multiple ideas and concepts woven together to create a final product. 

“The arts are an essential element of education, just like reading, writing, and arithmetic…music, dance, painting, and theater are all keys that unlock profound human understanding and accomplishment.”

   –William Bennett, Former US Secretary of Education

A 2005 Rand Corporation report about visual arts argues that the intrinsic pleasure and excitement of the art experience do more than just enhance a student's life. The report states arts "can connect people more deeply to the world and open them to new ways of seeing". Strong arts programs and integration of the arts into the general education classroom helps close a gap that exists in many schools. Equity in the access to the arts students experience can be leveled with arts education. As our nation continues to set our sights on the math and science scores from counties like Japan, Hungary and the Netherlands it is interesting that those countries all mandate arts and music education programs.

"I believe that creativity will be the currency of the 21st century." 
– Gerald Gordon, Ph.D., President/CEO, Fairfax County (Virginia) Economic Development Authority

According to The Bloomberg Job Skills report the skills that are least common but most desired in applicants are: creative thinking, problem solving, leadership and communication.  These aren't skills that can just be added to a child's toolbox in high school or college, we have to start now in building leaders who can think of creative ways to solve problems and also use their voice to advocate and  communicate with multiple people and groups throughout the process. Almost everyone has one art form (visual art, music, dance or drama) with which they connect and use to make sense of the world. The Day In The Arts confirmed this for us as we watched students open up and connect to the art. It also reminded me of the importance of these forms of expression being available to them everyday and in every classroom. Art is a tool, a language, that we can use to communicate with each other about our learning, our feelings and our world. Let's keep the enthusiasm for the Arts going long after A Day In The Arts has ended.  

"The future belongs to young people with an education and the imagination to create."

–President Barack Obama

Thank you   Heather Puri for all the great pictures!

Book Character Dress Up

We had so much fun today celebrating our Mad About Reading March Madness. Book Challenges, Minutes to Win It, Guest Readers, and overall celebrating the joy of reading was evident everyone. Thank you to an incredible staff and community that is always focused on learning and the growth of our students.