Southeast Polk Community Schools: March 2023

Thursday, March 30, 2023

ISASP Tools: Practice Tests

As in previous years, practice tests for ISASP are available on the state site under the tab 'Test Preparation'. The purpose of the practice test is to provide an opportunity for students to navigate the test platform, practice solving items online, and become familiar with using the available online tools. It can help students feel more confident in a testing situation.

While there are many benefits, the time spent in practice will provide value for learning only if we respond to the information. We might respond instructionally with further review, more practice, or more intensity. We might respond as a system through unit design, sequence, or pacing. It is important to find a balance between instruction and practice tests.

There are new tools available this year to support this balance. These include tables for standards alignment and practice scoring.

Each practice test aligns the item numbers with the standard being measured. Below is an example for Grade 6 Reading.

In addition, scoring of the practice test provides preliminary estimates of student proficiency. Below are examples for Reading, Math, and Science.

Please contact Rob Timmins or anyone on the Teaching and Learning team for any questions or support with upcoming ISASP assessments.

Monday, March 27, 2023

Elementary Collaboration-March 29th

We are looking forward to our elementary collaboration this Wednesday, March 29th. In order to provide time for teachers to get to Spring Creek for contract ratification by 3:15 PM, we will be facilitating this session via Zoom. We will begin at 2:15 PM and conclude by 3:00 PM.

The agenda for this session includes:

K-5 Math Materials Update
Report Card Feedback
Cross-Curricular Connections
Summer Curriculum Work

Grade level teachers, instructional coaches, administrators, reading specialists, Title I teachers, TAG teachers, ESOL teachers, teacher librarians--please join the Zoom session at the link below promptly at 2:15 PM.

ELEMENTARY COLLABORATION ZOOM SESSION

PK teachers will meet at Clay Elementary at 2:15 PM.
Grade level teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators will remain at your buildings.
Art, Music, and PE teachers will meet at Clay Elementary.
Counselors and nurses will attend their scheduled training on anxiety with Dr. Erin Stevens at Centennial Elementary.
Reading Specialists, Title I teachers, TAG teachers, ESOL teachers, teacher librarians-remain in your buildings for the Zoom session.
Special Education teachers will report to the Spring Creek library at 2:15 PM.

We look forward to learning and collaborating on Wednesday!

Friday, March 24, 2023

ISASP Updates-Student Readiness Tool

The next few teaching and learning blogs will provide updates and information related to the administration of Iowa's State Assessment of Student Performance (ISASP).

As we prepare for the ISASP in April, Emily Freitag offers some research-based guidelines to help balance teaching and preparation.

Teach in ways that help students get a deep understanding of the content that will be tested.
Develop higher-order cognitive skills – for example, have students answer “why” questions and explain their thinking.
Have students take one full-length practice test to tamp down anxiety, become “test-wise,” and then use a post-mortem to learn from their mistakes.
Teach students about stereotype threat (as a test-taker) and how to counteract it.
Help students understand who they are as test takers and reduce their jitters.

“Keep the Tests, but Reform the Test Prep” by Emily Freitag in Education Gadfly, March 17, 2023

Student Readiness Tools

To support these guidelines, there are some new resources available to both students and teachers this year to support administration.

One of these resources is the Student Readiness Tool. This tool helps students better navigate the assessment in an online format. Practice with this tool would be good for students who have little experience taking assessment online, and students who want to maximize the tools available. Below are links to the tools as well as sample lesson plans to embed authentically into teaching.

Student Readiness Tools

IMPORTANT DATES for ISASP

Testing Window: April 10-May 5
Week of April 10-HS
Week of April 17-MS
Week of April 24-Elementary
All training needs to be completed prior to the testing window opening (April 10th)

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

We're on Facebook!

We are excited to launch the SEP Teaching and Learning Facebook page!

There are so many wonderful things happening at Southeast Polk, and we wanted to have a forum to showcase this work. You are invited to follow and like this page at the link below:

SEP Teaching and Learning Facebook Page

You are also invited to contribute to this page. There is so much excellence in teaching and learning that happens each and every day at Southeast Polk. We want to share this beyond the walls of our schools. If you have anything happening in your classrooms that you would like to share, please submit your post to Brittany Kunz (brittany.kunz@southeastpolk.org). Include the grade, course/subject, what students are learning, and description of the activity or task. Photos may also be included. These posts may be around special events, and they may also include the every day things you do with students, as these are special too!

Thank you for what you do with and for the students in your classes. Unless you are a student or a teacher, it is hard to visualize what happens in schools each day. The goal of this Facebook page is to further share the impact and value of the educational experience at Southeast Polk.

Sunday, March 19, 2023

Welcome Back! Southeast Polk University

Welcome Back!

As we gear up for the next weeks of school, below is a graphic that highlights just some of the things supporting teaching and learning. Teacher leadership continues to be strong at Southeast Polk!